Uruguay will not participate in the Durban Conference and before the end of the government period it will open a commercial office of the Uruguayan Embassy in Jerusalem, announced the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, after receiving the award for contributing to the ties of friendship and the strengthening of ties with Israel, which was granted by the Zionist Organization of Uruguay.
The president received the recognition this Thursday the 1st from the heads of the Zionist Organization of Uruguay, Javier Galperin, and the National Fund for Israel, Alejandro Weisz. The event took place at the headquarters of the Israelite Community of Uruguay, in Montevideo.
“This award is being given to a person, to a citizen who has the quality of President of the Republic for the next 912 days”, he claimed. And he added: “Our duty is to align our values and principles, the commitment we assume with citizenship, and, at the same time, try to represent the greatest number of Uruguayans, because (…) I am the president of all Uruguayans”.
“I accept it (the award) with the peace of mind of belonging to a country that never doubted where it should be, not only supported, but also took the risk of being a pioneer in the creation of the State of Israel,” he emphasized.
After making a historical review of the ties between the two countries, he recalled that in 2021 he announced that Uruguay would not participate in the next Durban Conference. In addition, he revealed that, before the end of his mandate, a Uruguayan “innovation and trade office” will be installed in the city of Jerusalem.
The award has been granted since 1990 by the Zionist Organization of Uruguay to personalities who have promoted peaceful coexistence between peoples and struggled for respect and full observance of human rights and the strengthening of ties between the two nations.
Galperin considered Lacalle Pou “an admirable continuator of this tradition of friendship” and maintained that “relations between Uruguay and Israel have advanced enormously thanks to him.” “His commitment to peace, his fight against anti-Semitism and the values of freedom and coexistence, which we share, make him a well-deserved winner of this award,” he stressed.
“We see in him a true friend and partner in the causes that unite us, such as freedom, human rights, justice, respect for others and the defense of minorities,” he added.
The Israeli ambassador, meanwhile, recalled that since Lacalle Pou took office “he has been working for rapprochement between the two countries.” Yoed Magen noted: “His solidarity with Israel in difficult times, empathy towards our people and his steadfastness in the face of injustices place him on a prominent list of dignitaries to whom Israel owes special thanks.”
“On behalf of the Government of Israel, I want to thank and congratulate President Lacalle Pou for his friendship that brings Uruguayans and Israelis ever closer,” he stressed.
Among the attendees were the secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the Vice President of the Republic, Beatriz Argimón, and the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Azucena Arbeleche; Tourism, Tabare Viera; Environment, Adrian Peña; Foreign Relations, Francisco Bustillo; Interior, Luis Alberto Heber; Education and Culture, Pablo da Silveira; National Defense, Javier Garcia; Social Development, Martín Lema, and Housing and Territorial Planning, Irene Moreira.
The director of the Planning and Budget Office, Isaac Alfie, and former presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera, as well as legislators and diplomats, also participated.
