MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina says the pulp mill conflict with Uruguay is over and ‘buried’

Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman praised President Mujica and the great political coincidence between the two countries

Diplomatic relations between Argentina and Uruguay are going through “a very good moment, which can obviously be improved”, but there are “no open conflicts” because the dispute over the Botnia pulp mill has been definitively “buried”, said Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman.

In an interview with the Uruguayan government sponsored daily La República, published Monday Timerman praised Uruguayan president Jose Mujica for his attitude towards the bilateral dialogue in line with ‘the historic relation between the neighbouring countries’ enabling to advance on all aspects such as economic, social and political integration.

“Problems of the past have been solved and have overcome for benefit of both peoples, with no resentments and which is the only way to solve them. We have a relation that can grow and which is going through a very good moment with no open conflicts. Yes, we have many issues pending but because we have much integration to advance on”, said the Argentine official.

From 2005 to 2010 Argentina and Uruguay went through one of the most conflicting disputes in recent history following the mounting of the UPM-Botnia pulp mill on the Uruguayan side of a shared and jointly managed river.

Argentina claimed Uruguay did not consult the neighbour and that the pulp mill contaminated. The dispute went all the way to the International Court of The Hague and finally following the ruling, both countries agreed on a monitoring system for the shared Uruguay River.

A long agenda of issues was then agreed between Presidents Mujica and his Argentine peer Cristina Fernandez at Uruguay’s presidential ranch in Anchorena, which was to be worked on in the following twelve months.

“A year later we can say the agenda has been fully addressed or solved which means both presidents had their administrations working full time and this is evidence of the dynamism, dialogue and integration between Argentina and Uruguay”, said Timerman.

The minister indicated that since the last visit of President Mujica to Buenos Aires and with all pending issues solved or addressed, “this was reached in the framework of a great political coincidence between the governments of Argentina and Uruguay, both regarding bilateral issues as well as regional and global issues”.

“We have a very close vision of the issues we are facing and are intent in working together for the best advantage of both countries and the region”, emphasized the Argentine minister.

“What has been achieved normally takes years, but currently we can say that you can’t think of Argentina without thinking about Uruguay and similarly, no Uruguay without Argentina”.

Finally Timerman underlined the importance of Unasur, which has been working for some time on political issues but also has a great capacity for dialogue and to defend such basic values as democracy and justice.

“The recent council of Economy ministers has shown the region can agree on initiatives, with a strategic regional view, not of an only, individual country. Normally economic decisions in each country have different options to face, but this time we have acted with intelligence as a whole group, and agreed on measure to contain contagion and on the other hand to take advantage of opportunities that surge in such circumstances” concluded Minister Timerman.