MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lacalle Pou optimistic about Milei's future government

“Always, when something new starts, you give it credit,” Lacalle said

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou said Thursday that this might change foreign relations with Javier Milei's government in Argentina: “We have not been lucky in foreign relations” but, with the Libertarian leader, “the region is changing and we are going to take advantage of it,” Lacalle stressed.

Regarding Argentina's future government starting Dec. 10, Lacalle insisted it was necessary to have “prudence, patience and balance.” However, he did admit to seeing new opportunities for Uruguay. Lacalle also pledged to bring the new administration closer to that of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil and summoned former President José “Pepe” Mujica to assist him in this endeavor.

Things between Milei and Lula are not on the best of terms following derogatory remarks by the Argentine leader during pre-campaign appearances in Chile.

Lacalle spoke of his government's “best intentions” for the years to come and mentioned his scheduled “hand-in-hand” meeting with Milei after the Dec. 10 inauguration: “In a hand-in-hand meeting, good things are generated,” said Lacalle. “You can talk about other issues, you can understand more easily,” he went on. “This formula has worked for Uruguay,” he insisted.

“Always, when something new starts, you give it credit, and hopefully the successive steps it takes, at least with the relationship with the country, which is the one that concerns us, and in the relationship with Mercosur, will be based on what was said,” Lacalle said as he highlighted Milei's campaign idea of “an open Mercosur.”

“The Argentine people expressed themselves, there is a new president, we are going to try to make sure that this is fulfilled and that they support the possibility of Uruguay having bilateral agreements with other blocs or countries,” Lacalle also pointed out while considering himself to be as liberal as Milei.

According to Uruguayan media, Mujica's role will be key due to his personal friendship with Lula and the frequent dialogue he maintains with him and other representatives of the Brazilian government. Mujica's idea, which he conveyed to Vice President Beatriz Argimón so that she could pass it on to the head of state, is that both could join efforts to “build a bridge” between Argentina and Brazil. Lacalle Pou reportedly gave his nod to the initiative.