
Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman said on Tuesday “there is no country” in the world that can say Argentina is protectionist and claimed it is the G20 member that saw imports soar most between 2010 and 2011.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica promised on Monday to ‘fight to the death’ for the future of Mercosur in spite of the fact that the group’s junior members Uruguay and Paraguay are suffering the most as Argentina and Brazil implement growing hurdles to trade.

Uruguay’s Economy minister Fernando Lorenzo called on other members of Unasur, Union of South American Nations, to ensure free trade in the region as a safeguard and guarantee for the sustained growth of country-members in time.

The Paraguayan government called for “reflection and dialogue” from the Argentine government in order to find a solution to the commercial restrictions in place on imported products, “we don’t need any more walls”.

The European Union and Mercosur concluded Friday in Brussels the eighth round of negotiations for a free trade agreement with the commitment to begin exchanging market access proposals at the next meeting.

The elected government of the Falkland Islands said on Friday it regrets the latest attempt by the Argentine government to economically undermine the Islanders way of life, which is yet another example of intimidation and bullying towards a country of 3.000 people.

Uruguayan Vice-president Danilo Astori strongly criticized the current situation in Mercosur blasting protectionist measures of both Argentina and Brazil, which together with Paraguay are full members of the block

Argentina plans to intensify its policy of protecting the trade surplus and impeding the outflow of hard currency and this week is expected to add another one hundred tariff positions which will be submitted to an increase in import levies.

A new round of talks between the European Union and Mercosur is scheduled to begin Monday in Brussels for a week, according to a press release from the Argentine Foreign Affairs.

The Mercosur tourism industry had a turnover of 15 billion dollars last year with the Brazilians providing the largest number of tourists to the group’s associates, according to a report from neighboring countries representatives presented at the International Tourism Bourse in Berlin.