MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Minister Rutley discusses football and trade while visiting Uruguay

Minister Rutley with a Uruguayan team shirt and a local football authority holds a Lionesses color

After spending Tuesday in Paraguay for the inauguration of president Santiago Peña, British foreign minister for the Americas, David Rutley visited neighboring Uruguay where he met with local authorities, visited the Centenario stadium and participated in a reception for UK/Uruguay business chamber and friendship members.

At Uruguay's foreign ministry, Rutley met minister Santiago Bustillo, “to strengthen the bilateral agenda in the framework of shared values”, and later signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will enable “people traveling as tourists to perform paid activities for a brief period of time”.

”On the day of a historic Lionesses (English team that beat Australia 3/1 in the semifinals of the Women's Soccer World Cup) victory, it was a thrill to visit Uruguayan football officials and the Centenario Stadium and meet the next generation of Uruguayan football talent and discuss the game we hold dear“, twitted minister Rutley adding, ”UK brought football to Uruguay and we remain united by the love of the game.“

At the Centenario Stadium the first Football World Cup was played with Uruguay beating Argentina, 4/2 in the final game.

Minister Rutley later visited the Legislative Palace, dating back to 1925, where he met with vice president and head of the National Assembly, Senator Beatriz Argimón.

”Parliamentary relations with Uruguay are thriving and it was an honor to be introduced to the heads of the Upper and Lower Chambers, and visit such a magnificent building” said minister Rutley, who later also joined Deputy Sebastián Andujar, president of the Lower Chamber at his office.

Uruguay/Britain relations date back at least two centuries when Jose Artigas head of the independence forces fighting to liberate the Banda Oriental from Buenos Aires hegemony signed a free trade agreement with British representatives. Later in 1830 British diplomacy played a role when Uruguay became an independent country with its first constitution. In the 19th and early 20th centuries bilateral trade prospered with significant British investment taking advantage of the port of Montevideo and Uruguay's strategic position between Argentina and Brazil.

Following the first world war Uruguay condoned much of France and Britain's debts, and in December 1939, the Battle of the River Plate was a light of hope for the embattled Allies. Uruguayan foreign policy has been impeccably oriented.