MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay’s president cancels last leg of European tour on medical advice

Mujica with the president of the Xunta Nuñez Feijóo

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica, 78, cancelled the last leg of his European visit, Italy, saying he was exhausted and suffering from jet-lag. He has been in the road since May 22, with a first official three-day visit to China, later to Spain, the Vatican and to Galicia and the Basque country, from where his family came.

On Monday he will finish pending business in Galicia, home of many immigrant families to Uruguay and later will rest two days in Madrid before returning to Montevideo Thursday morning according to his pres officer.

“This was decided on medical recommendations”, said Deputy Executive secretary, Diego Canepa.

In Italy he was scheduled to meet with President Giorgio Napolitano, several ministers and honoured with the Mediterranean Prize.

In Galicia Mujica met with the Xunta president Alberto Nuñez Feijóo and agreed on cooperation in several fields taking into account the very close human and historic links with Uruguay of that Spanish region, from where ten of thousands during over a century left for the port of Montevideo.

“We expect and are convinced that Montevideo will become the port of entry for Galicia in America, and Galicia the port of access to Europe”, said Nuñez Feijóo.

Trade links with Galicia are already very close since Montevideo in the operational port for the Galician fishing companies that operate in the South Atlantic.

Before Galicia, Mujica visited the Basque country where he was received by the regional president Iñigo Urkullu Renteria, at the Ajurica Enea Palace.

Mujica, originally ‘Muxica’, underlined the close links of the Basque people with Latinamerica, and in particular with Uruguay, where much of the dairy industry was set up by these immigrants.

These close links were born “from the migrants’ vessels, from the poor of Europe, from the wars that tore up Europe and made them leave for a new future that they built with their talent and tradesman-ship. They arrived along decades and helped build our nomenclature, emblematic buildings, they are our carpenters, our ironworkers, our camp people, our cattle farmers”, said Mujica.

“Hopefully this meeting will boost cooperation between our peoples in energy, railways, ports and manufacturing, particularly in shipbuilding. We can contribute with software, we are leaders in the region”, concluded the Uruguayan president.