Uruguay will continue with Mercosur but is also interested in the Pacific alliance
Uruguay will continue “to look after” Mercosur in spite of the strong diplomatic discrepancies with Argentina, but will also continue with an interest in participating in other trade blocks of the region, said President Jose Mujica.
“Looking after Mercosur, but we also have our eyes on the Pacific” said Mujica in an interview with the government’s television channel when asked about the recent Uruguayan request to enter the Alliance of the Pacific as an observer.
The recently created Alliance of the Pacific includes Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico four countries with a friendlier attitude towards business and foreign investment, and promoters of open markets and a strong private sector. Paraguay has also expressed an interest in considering such an option.
“The issue is getting together” with other Latinamerican countries said the Uruguayan president adding that the recent inclusion of Venezuela in Mercosur does not imply that country will have to abandon its membership from other regional blocks to which it currently belongs.
Thus “what is needed is a more flexible Mercosur”.
Venezuela was officially incorporated to Mercosur as the fifth full member on 31 July in Brasilia. Mercosur is now made up of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Paraguay which remains suspended following the late June political events that concluded with the removal of Fernando Lugo as president of the country.
Both issues remain highly controversial, particularly since Venezuela was incorporated taking advantage of Paraguay’s absence suspended from Mercosur.
More specifically on the current situation with Argentina and the escalade of misunderstandings between the neighbouring countries because of alleged irregularities regarding the dredging of a River Place shared access canal, Mujica was very prudent and made no comments.
“You well know that I have decided to be silent on the issue, and keep working. I think making remarks only worsens the situation. We will continue to work on the issue because Argentina, and good relations with Argentina are crucial for Uruguay” said Mujica who nevertheless denied media reports that he would in coming days meet with his Argentine counterpart Cristina Fernandez.
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1st Paraguay looking towards the Pacific Alliance, now Uruguay.
Maybe Uruguay are getting fed up of all of Argentina's provocations, and the inclusion of Venezula being illegal by Mercosur's own rules.
Perhaps Mujica has finally grown a pair.
The new Alliance of the Pacific - Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico, four countries with a friendlier attitude towards business and foreign investment - offers much more to Uruguay, a country with the same attitude.
Dilma should do well to reflect on the importance of a business-friendly environment when it comes to a trading bloc trading with the world. Argentina and Venezuela are leading her by the nose in the opposite direction.
In short Uruguay appears to have an excellent well balanced leader who's only motivation seems to be the advancement of his nation and its people. Wish there were a few more like him around the World.
Well, you know how they say “in the land of the blind a one-eye man is king”.
... and, no, C #9, I don't think Mujica is at all stupid.
I am sure Dilma and Cristina must be lobbying Uruguay and Paraguay now not to join the alliance. But they will have to offer more than speeches.
Last June Argentina and China signed cooperation agreements in nuclear energy as well as agriculture and fisheries during a visit to the region of Primer Minister Wen Jiabao.
A few days later at a Mercosur summit in Mendoza, Argentina the group did not support the Wen Jiabao proposal to create a free trade zone between China and the group made up of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and now Venezuela.
unity indeed!!! lol
Unity means nothing and it becomes an empty word when it does not mean equality and progress. It is not an end but a means to an end. If unity was the important part everyone will be trying to join Mercosur, but what countries are looking for is greater economic opportunities for their peoples to sell their products abroad and compete in fair conditions among themselves. Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico created the Pacific Alliance to do precisely that, and for the very simple reason that they did not find that in Mercosur, a bloc that at first inspired as an opportunity but later dissapointed with huge protectionism and unfair trade practices among themselves.
I think this is exactly what we will see ... the Bolivarian emphasis on 'joining the club', perhaps by the ALBA members, en bloc.
The huge disparities in outlook, enterprise and output will be like bringing Romania et al into the EU on an equal footing with Germany. Except that there will be the usual South American favouring of 'Politics over Economics'.
I have very little hope for Mercosur now .... exactly the reverse of a few years back.
You are so blinded by your zealousy. I love Uruguay, one of my favorite countries in the world, I´ve traveled extensively, I have no side or bias to blind me. I´m not from the UK. There is NO unity in South America currently. Peru and Chile are at eachother´s necks. Argentina is easily the most combatitive, hostile, and selfish nation in all South America. Uruguay would do well to cut ALL ties and ALL trade with Argentina, and look elsewhere. Don´t let your dreams of unity blind you. Maybe some day....but it´s not even on the horizon while Cristina is around.
If you were to go back, and read my comments from just a year ago, I was in agreeance, and in favor of Argentina. Then I traveled myself all through Argentina in person, saw Cristina in person, and read enough of their absurd combatitiveness in news, and saw firsthand that Argentina is a DISASTER!
Just as Chile and Bolivia are associate members of Mercosur, and Mexico has expressed interest in joining in the future.
Since years the Mercosur is begging Chile to enter their funny club as a full member, but we are only associates to check directly and from first hand what you guys mess up.
Keep tryin'
In the TRUE Bolivarian meaning of South American unity, the United States of South America.
This will never happen, the only unity we'll see in South America are disparate trading groups, e.g. Mercosur, Pacific Alliance, and political groupings such as ALBA etc.
There is no way South American nationalism would put up with turning South America into a federal republic!!!!!
@26 Divide and conquer? Nobody has yet tried to explain how Paraguay would have difficulties joining the Pacific Alliance, because Bolivia is “in the way”, but Uruguay could do it. Can you help?
I would say that Paraguay has more difficulties than Uruguay because it is landlocked.
That said, in this day and age, it shouldn't be that difficult to trade with the Pacific Alliance countries by way of air freight, only a bit more expensive.
She was like a rabid dog, raving, foaming at the mouth, nothing at all like a President.
I saw her speaking in person while I was in Ushaia, back in like....February-ish. It was quite the site. She was literally screaming. I've never seen a “leader” act like that in my life.
She was speaking at a rally about the Falklands. And yea, she was literally screaming, and spitting from the mouth, foaming, rabid dog, raving.
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