
Argentina's Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich on Monday responded to Uruguay’s President José “Pepe” Mujica, who accused Argentina of “forgetting about integration” when things go right for the country, saying the statement was “unfair” given Argentina’s role in the “foundation” of regional integration.

The European Union is tired of waiting for Mercosur to sign a free trade agreement, according to a delegation of Euro members of Parliament visiting Paraguay, a country which they consider a trusted 'ally' in trying to establish closer links with Europe.

Trade among Mercosur partners contracted 12.3% during the third quarter of last year in annual terms, despite the fact overall trade of its members increased and despite the greater integration commitment of the group's original charter, points out the Argentine Chamber of Commerce

Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira discarded that the recent agreements reached by Argentina with China can interfere with Mercosur, while his Argentine counterpart Hector Timerman said that the package of accords with Beijing will actually benefit Mercosur.

Argentina and Brazil failed to reach an agreement to help unlock the ongoing tension between the two key Mercosur allies over bilateral trade. Argentina's Hector Timerman and his counterpart Mauro Vieira met in Buenos Aires to try and ease Brazil’s growing concerns about restrictions on the flow of goods, but any decisions were pushed forward to an undetermined date.

Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is expected to sign agreements with China to increase military co-operation, including construction of new warships for the Argentine Navy, during her current state visit to Beijing, according to media reports and Jane's Defense Weekly.

Uruguay will be attempting a new approach to the human rights and disappeared persons issues, a still unfinished legacy from the military dictatorship, (1973/1984) and the decade of armed sedition which preceded the collapse of the country's democracy. The announcement is expected later this month and basically means replacing truth and justice for truth and memory, following to a certain extent the South African experience.

Mercosur does not exist; Uruguay is losing precious time and should try a one to one trade agreement with the European Union, according to Paul Riezler, president of the Euro-Chamber in Uruguay and of the Uruguay-Germany Commerce and Industry Chamber.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the credit rating of Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras because of the widening kickback-corruption scandal affecting the country's largest corporation.The credit rating agency announced its decision late Thursday in a statement posted on its website.

The Celac summit held in Costa Rica and which brings together all Latin American and Caribbean countries released a declaration expressing full support for Argentina's 'legitimate' rights over the Falklands/Malvinas, recalls that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Resolution 2065 (first UN Assembly General resolution on the Falklands dispute) and again call on the goods offices of Ban Ki-moon to help start negotiations on the Argentina/UK dispute.