The National Order of Merit distinction in the rank of Marshal Francisco Solano López was awarded to the Uruguayan president by his counterpart from Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, in celebration of the 211th anniversary of that country’s independence. Lacalle Pou thanked the gesture and said that he received it in recognition of Uruguay and all the national heroes collaborating in the defense of the Paraguayan cause.
The ceremony took place this May 15 in the Independence Hall of the Palacio de López, located in Asunción, Paraguay.
The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, assured that he received the decoration, the highest award granted by Paraguay to a head of state, as a commitment to the same historical values of free will of modern times, in which there are other tools, but the vocation for freedom is the same.
“Governments have the obligation to practice democracy to give freedom to our peoples,” said the Uruguayan president, adding that if institutions are respected, “our nations are fertile ground for the arrival of thousands of citizens who wish to develop.” .
He highlighted the economic and productive growth of Paraguay, which, added to the port vocation of Uruguay, offers the possibility of advancing together. “I am convinced that Uruguay is Paraguay’s natural outlet to the sea. Here is Uruguay, having its rivers and its sea so that Paraguay can make use of them and can develop”, he specified.
He stressed the importance of personal respect between the leaders and that in said relationship the center is their respective countries.
Abdo Benítez, meanwhile, reviewed the historical episodes that have united both nations for 176 years and that today continue to consolidate in an integration process based on the values of their peoples.
He thanked Lacalle Pou for his support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, for the delivery of vaccines, the opening of the pork market in Uruguay, the work for the entry of Paraguayan yerba mate, the coincidence in international forums and friendship, which will surely transcend mandates.
Then, both heads of state made a joint statement to the media, in which the Uruguayan highlighted, with respect to the issues that unite them in the future, solidarity between nations, respect for fundamental values and principles, and the commercial aspects.
“We have complementary economies and, in some areas, similar ones” he acknowledged, which has not been an impediment for “Paraguayan meats to be on Uruguayan gondolas”, on the contrary, it is an example that countries can converge in interests, he added . He also made reference to the waterway and the port issue, as well as Uruguay’s vocation to be the distribution center (hub) from many places in South America far from the sea, such as Paraguay. “Inevitably, we are going there“, he pointed.
With regard to Mercosur, Lacalle Pou asserted that Uruguay needs to open up to the world and recognized the attitude of the Paraguayan Government of not impeding it: “It is very important for us not to have that explicit obstacle, at least when today in Mercosur we are giving that discussion,” he concluded. Presidency
