The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a 120 million dollars loan to finance the second phase of Uruguay's Strategic International Positioning Program. Its goal is to consolidate the country's international positioning, contributing to an increase in investments—mainly those aimed at high value-added sectors— and exports.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica who next Monday begins the last three months of his five-year mandate enjoys a 65% public opinion support according to the latest poll from Mori released this week. Negative opinion only represents 17% while 18% did not say whether they approved or disapproved of the popular leader’s performance.
Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Luis Almagro highlighted that Mercosur is the “main buyer” of Uruguayan exports and strongly defended the country's presence in the regional group, a controversial issue since much of the country's political system and most of the business community want a more dynamic, open trade block.
Mexico and Uruguay declared on Monday an end to a brief diplomatic spat over the Uruguayan president's description of Mexico as a kind of failed state. Mexico's government protested the remarks by Uruguayan President Jose Mujica over the weekend and said it would summon the country's ambassador for an explanation.
Mexico said on Sunday it was summoning Uruguay's ambassador after Uruguayan President Jose Mujica said that the disappearance of 43 students in southwest Mexico suggests the country is a 'failed state'.
Uruguay will be receiving fifty cruise calls less this 2014/15 season, which is 26% down compared to a year ago, revealed the country's Deputy Tourism and Sports minister, Antonio Carambula during the official launching of the season. This means Montevideo will be hosting 104 calls and Punta del Este, 70, compared to the 237 between both terminals (121 and 116) in 2013/14.
By Jaime Trobo (*) - Parlasur, acronym for Mercosur Parliament, decided to approve a declaration relative to the Malvinas Islands situation, and more specifically on the sovereignty conflict between the Argentine Republic and Great Britain, which has been ongoing for over 180 years with no reasonable accord.
An estimated 28.5 million Latin American and Caribbean people live outside their birth countries, 70% of them in the United States, while a majority of the immigrant population of 7.6 million originated from other countries in the region, according to a new study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Uruguay expects a slowing down of cruise activity this season, probably in the range of 10% less vessel calls, particularly in Punta del Este, because of logistics problems with the circuits. However this will be partly compensated by the two Costa Cruise company vessels that will be operating from Montevideo as the starting point and end of South Atlantic tours.
The Mercosur parliament, Parlasur, in a special Monday session held in Montevideo, rejected British 'control' over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands and described the situation as a colonial conflict of 'global' proportion which threatens the region.