MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan FM makes a remark on his Ambassador to Argentina after political statements on investors

In his letter to Enciso, the Foreign Minister asks for reserve and discretion, and warns that his statements cannot be repeated.

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister, Francisco Bustillo, sent a note with a remark to the Uruguayan ambassador in Buenos Aires, Carlos Enciso, in which he questions the pertinence of his statements in a radio interview. Enciso spoke of a possible drop in Argentine investments if there is a political change in his country's government after the favorable policies in the past few years by President Luis Lacalle Pou.

Bustillo refers in the letter that he does not share “the tenor” of his statements, Foreign Ministry sources told MercoPress.

Read also: Uruguay's Ambassador to BA fears change of gov't would scare Argentine investors

The host of the program, Quien es quien, asked the diplomat if “Uruguay is at risk of losing investments” in case the government changes again, and the ambassador answered: “I do not doubt that, if the [political] sign changes, hopefully not, there will be people who would rethink things. Those who are there will not automatically leave because of a change of government, but those who are not there and may come from there will have different ears and may have other objections,” he explained.

These words generated concern in the Foreign Ministry. In his letter to Enciso, the Foreign Minister asks for reserve and discretion, and warns that his statements cannot be repeated.

Following these ”inadmissible” statements by Enciso, Uruguay's opposition lawmakers from the opposition Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) reacted strongly, because the diplomat, in their view, was representing a country and not a specific political party.

At least four senators of the Frente Amplio (Mario Bergara, Liliam Kechichian, José Carlos Mahía and Daniel Caggiani) warned that diplomats cannot carry out activities or make political-partisan statements, and that therefore Enciso violated diplomatic norms.

Then, Broad Front’s sector Movimiento de Participación Popular (MPP) asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to state its position on the ambassador's statements on investments and, in a request for reports, warned that they do not comply with “the criterion of independence with respect to political parties”, established in the Foreign Service Statute.

Senator Liliam Kechichian said Enciso's statements were in “violation of his duties as ambassador.”

“We hope that the Foreign Ministry takes action on the matter,” Senator Mario Bergara.

It was also recalled that under FA governments, foreign investment grew in Uruguay as it had not done in the previous 20 years.