The Chinese delegation of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that spent over a day in Uruguay and signed several cooperation agreements felt “disappointed” with the fact that the Foreign Minister was not present during the visit.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Uruguay Friday, his first stop on a multi-nation visit to South America. Wen's arrival marks the first time a Chinese premier has visited Uruguay since diplomatic ties were established in 1988.
Uruguay looks forward to increase trade with China in value and diversification as Beijing commands a bigger economic and cooperation role in South America, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro said in an interview with China Daily.
Uruguay called on Argentina to begin the price bidding process for the delayed dredging of a River Plate canal and revealed it was already monitoring the Uruguayan side of a joint commission responsible for deciding on the final contract and which has come under suspicion of corruption.
United States ambassador Julissa Reynoso said Uruguayan president Jose Mujica is welcome to the White House whenever he wishes, and revealed that Uruguay is in the short list of countries that soon could be exempted from requiring a visa to travel to the US.
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro backed Argentina’s controversial decision to nationalize the country's biggest oil company YPF arguing countries’ right to recover a strategic market is “indisputable”.
The Uruguayan government through the Ministry of Defence gave the green light to a local air cargo company, Airclass which requested authorization to make a commercial flight to the Falkland Islands sometime this month.
Uruguay’ Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Almagro revealed that the government of President Cristina Fernandez is fully involved in the implementation of a plan called “Argentina 2020: substitution of imports” and therefore bilateral trade negotiations that are difficult, will continue on that same path for several years.
Uruguay reiterated its full and traditional support for Argentina’s sovereignty claims over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, but at the same time underlined that “there is no blockade to the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands by any country of the continent”, and clearly differentiated the Cuban and Malvinas blockades.
Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro said that the Uruguayan government does not oppose trade with the Falkland Islands and any undertaking to that effect by the private sector is welcome since “Uruguay does not agree with any commercial or economic blockade of the Islands”.