MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Uruguay issues Swiss franc bonds for the first time]]> This placement “reflects the confidence of investors in the institutional soundness of the country,” Oddone argued Uruguay issued sovereign bonds in Swiss francs for the first time Thursday, totaling 320 million (about US$400 million) to help finance a US$6 billion fiscal deficit in 2025. The bonds, with five- and ten-year terms, carry an average annual interest rate of 1.33%. Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone highlighted the favorable interest rates and noted that Uruguay was the only Latin American country currently issuing bonds in this currency, tapping into a market of high-quality investors.

]]> Fri, 27 Jun 2025 08:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[Noboa wants foreign military bases back in Ecuador but needs Constitutional reform for that]]> Noboa intends to reform Article 5 of the Ecuadorean Constitution so as to allow foreign military bases or installations in the country to fight organized crime Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa has submitted before the Constitutional Court (CC) a projected amendment whereby foreign military bases might be admitted in the South American country. "The present request seeks that this magistracy carries out the prior control at a first moment of the project of partial reform to the Constitution that is presented, and that, through an opinion, pronounces itself regarding the way by which it should be processed," read the document signed by the head of state.

]]> Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:50:00 GMT <![CDATA[Joint statement issued against the arrest of Venezuelan opposition activist]]> San Miguel has been accused of plotting to kill President Nicolás Maduro Given the arrest in Venezuela of opposition activist Rocío San Miguel last week, the governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay issued a joint statement Thursday calling for her release.

]]> Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:14:00 GMT <![CDATA[Disqualification of María Corina Machado shadows Venezuela's path to reconciliation]]> The government's suspension of Machado's candidacy, citing corruption allegations, echoes previous disqualifications in 2021 and 2014. The disqualification of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado from the Supreme Court Justice (TSJ) threatens the international aperture the South American country has experienced. The United States Government has issued a two-month ultimatum to the Maduro government, demanding the inclusion of barred opposition candidates in the upcoming presidential elections.

]]> Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:01:00 GMT <![CDATA[Paraná Waterway conflict: Paraguayan barge released after paying toll]]> Paraguayan President Santiago Peña announced measures against Argentina, including a lawsuit before the Mercosur Tribunal for violations of the Treaty of Asunción A Paraguayan barge with fuel seized by Argentine authorities for failure to pay the toll on the Paraguay-Paraná River Waterway has been released after posting nearly US$ 30,000, it was reported.

]]> Tue, 12 Sep 2023 08:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula rebuts comments from Boric and Lacalle]]> “No one needs to agree with anyone. This is how we do it”, said Lula in response to Lacalle's and Boric's criticism. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Tuesday that the meeting of 11 South American presidents at the Itamaraty Palace was not a group of friends, but of presidents seeking regional coordination, reported Agência Brasil.

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 12:12:00 GMT <![CDATA[Colombia returns to Unasur, Petro announces]]> Former Colombian President Iván Duque had withdrawn from Unasur citing it only served the purposes of “Venezuela's dictatorship” Colombian President Gustavo Petro Tuesday announced in Brasilia the return of his country to the Union of South American Nations (Unasur). “I have requested that it be called Association of South American Nations to guarantee pluralism and permanence in time,” said Petro five years after then-President Ivan Duque left the organization claiming that it served the interests of the “dictatorship” of Venezuela.

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 11:03:00 GMT <![CDATA[South American Presidents sign Brasilia Consensus]]> Argentina's Alberto Fernández insisted that if “disagreements are strengthened, everything breaks down.” After the Summit of South American leaders in Brasilia, the 11 attending presidents reached a consensus on cooperation and integration in the region.

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 10:50:00 GMT <![CDATA[Amid controversy in Brasilia regarding Venezuela, Fernández holds bilateral talks with Maduro]]> Nevertheless, other leaders at the Presidents’ meeting were critical with the presence of Maduro and the gesture Lula da Silva made on Monday The South American Presidents' Meeting held in Brasilia witnessed a series of controversial exchanges among regional leaders, highlighting the complexities surrounding the situation in Venezuela. In that context, Argentine President Alberto Fernández engaged in a bilateral meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, aiming to foster consensus and reinforce mechanisms for regional integration in Latin America.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 23:49:00 GMT <![CDATA[Presidents Boric and Lacalle Pou criticize Lula da Silva's defense of Maduro's Regime in Brasilia]]> “It is serious and I have had the opportunity to see it in the eyes and in the pain of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in our homeland,” Boric said. Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his strong disagreement on Tuesday with the statements made by his Brazilian counterpart, Lula da Silva, who had claimed on Monday that the notion of authoritarianism in Venezuela was a “constructed narrative.” Boric emphasized the seriousness of the situation in Venezuela and distanced himself from Lula's defense of Nicolás Maduro and his regime.

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