MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Visiting president Piñera and Lacalle Pou address health and post pandemic issues

“We need to join forces to defeat the coronavirus and recover our freedoms and opportunities”, said president Piñera

Trade, health and the post-pandemic, communications and the Pacific basin were some of the issues addressed by Chilean president Sebastian Piñera with his Uruguayan peer, Luis Lacalle Pou, during a one-day visit to Montevideo.

“We need to join forces to defeat the coronavirus and recover our freedoms and opportunities”, said president Piñera who added that the most significant issue ahead is the post pandemic recovery and to ensure it is inclusive and sustainable.

Lacalle Pou said it is always a pleasure to receive a president from another country, and in this particular case with such important issues as an Atlantic/Pacific alliance in the books, “we need to integrate the Pacific Alliance with Mercosur”

At the bilateral meeting Public Health ministers, Daniel Salinas and Enrique Paris, as well as Foreign ministers, Francisco Bustillo and Andres Allamand were present in the round of talks.

Following the meeting Piñera revealed that he had invited Uruguay to join the Humboldt project, an optical fiber submarine communication cable which will connect South America with the Pacific basin, and is shared by Chile with Argentina and Brazil.

Likewise given that Uruguay and Chile have been so far the two countries in the region to best address the pandemic, an understanding was agreed with the purpose of jointly combating the coronavirus, but equally important facing the challenge of the post pandemic recovery, inclusive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.

Other issues included cyber-security and Antarctica collaboration.

Monday afternoon the Chilean president visited the Uruguayan parliament and met with vice president Beatriz Argimón and addressed legislative and gender issues.

This is the second time Piñera visits Uruguay, the first when the inauguration of president Lacalle Pou in March 2020. The Chilean leader later in the evening left for Paraguay, the last leg of his five day tour of South American countries, which also included Colombia.

Next November presidential elections are held in Chile with a runoff if needed in December, and Piñera must step down on 11 March when his four year second mandate will be over. The Chilean businessman was first elected president in 2010.