Uruguay

• Thursday, August 4th 2016 - 21:52 UTC

  Venezuela defies Mercosur members and announces it will “fully exercise the presidency”

  

  Venezuela has defiantly confirmed that is will fully exercise the “self-proclaimed” presidency of Mercosur, despite the opposition from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, who consider the chair vacant and are meeting in Montevideo to find an alternative for the six month mandate.

• Wednesday, August 3rd 2016 - 06:10 UTC

  Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay consider Mercosur chair 'vacant' and call for urgent meeting

  

  Mercosur's disarray and fault lines were again exposed when Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay insisted that Venezuela's self proclamation as president of the group was invalid, and also expressed disappointment with Uruguay for having ended its mandate last Saturday causing “great uncertainty”.

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2016 - 06:52 UTC

  Mercosur in a state of disarray; Venezuela's presidency disavowed by Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay

  

  Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay have announced they do not support Venezuela as the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur, further deepening controversy in the group which could even hinder ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union and closer links with the Pacific Alliance.

• Monday, August 1st 2016 - 13:09 UTC

  Venezuela announces it now holds the chair of Mercosur; strong objections from Paraguay (and Brazil)

  

  Venezuela announced to fellow Mercosur members that for the rest of the year it was the new chair of the group, following on the expiration of Uruguay's six month mandate on Saturday, 30 July. The news was released by Spain's official news agency EFE, which alleges to have had access to the letter sent by the Venezuelan foreign ministry to the other four members.

• Saturday, July 30th 2016 - 05:39 UTC

  Mercosur limbo: Uruguay's presidency is over, who will hold the rotating chair ?

  

  Uruguay made public on Friday a letter sent to Mercosur fellow full members stating the finalization, this Saturday 30 July, of its six-month presidency of the group, which means the rotating chair “should be transferred to Venezuela”. The letter was accompanied by a 32 page report of its six-month as chair of the group, particularly intense because of the trade negotiations with the European Union.

• Friday, July 29th 2016 - 13:25 UTC

  Uruguay will not fund Turkey ticket for vanished ex Guantanamo inmate who surfaced in Venezuela

  

  The Uruguayan government announced on Thursday it will not fund the return trip or to Turkey or any third country, of former Guantanamo prisoner, Jihad Ahmad Dhiab who went missing for over a month and this week turned up at the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas, Venezuela.

• Thursday, July 28th 2016 - 11:23 UTC

  Uruguay will transfer Mercosur chair to Venezuela, despite objections from Brazil and Paraguay

  

  Despite objections from Brazil and Paraguay, Uruguay next Saturday 30 July will transfer to Venezuela the rotating chair of Mercosur for the second half of the year, as indicated in the “group's rules and regulations”.

• Monday, July 25th 2016 - 11:20 UTC

  Paraguay and Brazil reiterate “Venezuela is a non full member of Mercosur”

  

  Paraguay announced officially that it will not be attending the Common Market Council of Mercosur in Montevideo next 30 July, if the agenda includes the transfer of the group's presidency to Venezuela.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2016 - 06:35 UTC

  Rousseff's great mistake was to allow Venezuela into Mercosur, says Brazilian minister

  

  Brazil committed a great mistake on supporting Venezuela to the Mercosur trade agreement back in 2012, and the country must be impeded from taking over the pro-tempore presidency of the group until it complies with all the requisites to be a full member, said Brazil's foreign minister Jose Serra.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2016 - 06:40 UTC

  Uruguay could compete for another pulp mill, if it develops logistics infrastructure

  

  Finland´s UPM pulp conglomerate which already has a plant in Uruguay announced it will commence discussions with the Uruguayan government on the development of logistics infrastructure for a possible mounting of another mill. Discussions will include railroad and roads, which currently are a critical challenge to establish large scale industrial operation in the Uruguayan inland and to connect it to a deep sea port.