MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Petro and Orsi discuss ambitious projects for Latin America

The meeting between the two leaders took place in a Tegucigalpa café

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi agreed Wednesday in Tegucigalpa with his Colombian colleague Gustavo Petro to advance Latin American integration through a continental electricity grid powered by renewable energy, a regional pharmaceutical agency to produce essential medicines, and cooperation in artificial intelligence, quantum mathematics, and space exploration.

Their bilateral meeting was held in a café on the sidelines of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) 9th Summit, during which Petro assumed the bloc's pro tempore presidency.

Both South American leaders discussed clean energy, regional pharmaceutical production, and technological advances. Petro stressed the need to “leave rhetoric behind” and move forward with concrete projects. He spoke of a continental power grid from Alaska to Patagonia based on renewable sources, in addition to an agency for essential medicines to minimize dependence on foreign supplies as the Covid-19 pandemic unveiled.

They also reviewed artificial intelligence, quantum mathematics and space exploration, which in Petro's view cannot be the monopoly of foreign powers“.

Orsi, who is slated to pick up the bloc's baton from Petro, highlighted the value of the Summit as a space for ”integration in a fragmented world.”

Former Uruguayan President José Mujica supported these efforts with a letter to Celac leaders, including Petro, Xiomara Castro, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, urging greater unity, innovative cooperation, and an end to Latin America’s reliance on external markets. He called for practical steps and emotional symbols to foster a shared identity. While the initiatives hold promise, challenges include significant investment needs, regulatory alignment, and overcoming the region’s low intra-regional trade (15%, per ECLAC). Celac, reactivated in 2023, faces a critical test in turning these plans into reality.