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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, March 20th 2026 - 16:49 UTC

Uruguay

  • Wednesday, March 12th 2025 - 20:47 UTC

    UN Chief to visit Uruguay before the end of the year

    Lubetkin spent around 40 minutes with Guterres discussing issues of bilateral interest

    Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin announced that UN Secretary-General António Guterres would be visiting the South American country “before the end of the year.” Uruguay's top diplomat made those remarks after meeting with the Portuguese official, with whom he discussed health, peace, and environment issues for about 40 minutes.

  • Wednesday, March 12th 2025 - 09:32 UTC

    Uruguayan troops in DRC to return home starting late this month

    Lubetkin met with António Guterres, who committed to investigating the death of the Uruguayan soldier in the DRC

    Uruguay's Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin confirmed that his country's military mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a UN peacekeeping force will return home between late March and early April 2025. Lubetkin made the announcement after meetings in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. The relief of Uruguayan troops will be carried out in stages, it was also explained.

  • Tuesday, March 11th 2025 - 09:55 UTC

    Belgian Customs seize 547 kilos of cocaine in container shipped from Montevideo

    The drugs involved a container in the vessel Grande Nigeria, from the Grimaldi Group, during February according to Uruguayan prosecution sources.

    Customs officials in Antwerp, Belgium seized some 547 kilos of cocaine inside a container with rice that left the port of Montevideo. The catch took place at the end of February and involved the vessel Grande Nigeria, belonging to the Grimaldi Group, according to Uruguayan prosecution sources.

  • Thursday, March 6th 2025 - 10:59 UTC

    Uruguay wants to become an “actor of peace”

    Lubetkin outlined Uruguay's foreign policy under President Orsi

    Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin had on Wednesday his first formal day in office on Wednesday. During a ceremony in Montevideo attended by President Yamandú Orsi and Vice President Carolina Cosse, the South American country's top diplomat emphasized Uruguay's role as an “actor of peace” to help reduce global tensions.

  • Wednesday, March 5th 2025 - 09:12 UTC

    China halts meat imports from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Mongolia

    The main Argentine plant affected by the measure insisted on the lagging exchange rate between the peso and the US dollar as a key factor for the business to be profitable

    China’s customs authorities have suspended beef imports from seven meatpacking facilities across Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Mongolia as of March 3, 2025. The affected companies include two Argentine exporters (Frigorífico Regional General Las Heras SA and Frio Dock SA), three Brazilian slaughterhouses (Frisa Frigorífico Rio Doce S/A, Bon-Mart Frigorífico Ltda, and JBS S/A), one Uruguayan facility (Frigorífico Sirsil SA), and a Mongolian supplier. No official reason for the measure was provided, though it follows a 2024 record of 2.87 million metric tons of beef imports, which led to an oversupplied market and historically low domestic beef prices in China.

  • Tuesday, March 4th 2025 - 20:19 UTC

    Uruguay's new government does not recognize Maduro or González Urrutia in Venezuela

    Under Orsi, Uruguay recognizes neither Maduro nor González Urrutia and now has “an objective problem” to resolve, Lubetkin explained

    Under the Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) presidency of Yamandú Orsi, Uruguay will no longer recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia as winner of the controversial July 28 elections, where the incumbent Nicolás Maduro emerged triumphant amid fraud allegations. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin also underlined that Montevideo did not recognize Maduro either.

  • Tuesday, March 4th 2025 - 10:50 UTC

    Lula invites Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay to BRICS Summit

    Lula also pledged to deepen Brazil's partnership with Uruguay

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invited Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay to participate in the upcoming BRICS summit in July in Rio de Janeiro. The bloc, which includes Brazil, China, and India, represents 40% of the world's population. The summit will focus on reducing dependence on the US dollar and promoting local currencies in transactions.

  • Monday, March 3rd 2025 - 10:45 UTC

    Orsi and Steinmeier underscore Mercosur-EU deal

    “For us in Germany, Uruguay is a particularly reliable partner,” Steinmeir underlined

    Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi held a one-on-one talk with his German colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Estévez Palace in Montevideo. Both leaders agreed on the importance of ratifying the trade agreement between the South American Common Market (Mercosur) and the European Union (EU).

  • Saturday, March 1st 2025 - 22:46 UTC

    A new era in Uruguay: Yamandú Orsi takes the Presidential sash

    “This country is one. We build it together, with every region playing a role in its development,” Orsi told a crowd in Montevideo's main square. Photo: EFE/Raúl Martínez

    Former mayor of Canelones and history professor Yamandú Orsi took the stage at Plaza Independencia, the heart of Uruguay’s democratic transitions. A warm embrace with outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou marked the handover, a moment of continuity in a country that takes pride in its institutional stability. “I’m here if you need me,” Lacalle Pou told Orsi, offering a rare glimpse of camaraderie in the often-divisive world of politics.

  • Saturday, March 1st 2025 - 10:59 UTC

    Yamandú Orsi takes office as Uruguay’s new left-wing President

    Orsi becomes the third president from the left-wing Frente Amplio coalition, following Tabaré Vázquez and José “Pepe” Mujica

    Uruguay will swear in Yamandú Orsi as its new president this Saturday, marking 40 years since the country’s return to democracy. Orsi, a former mayor of Canelones, will replace Luis Lacalle Pou in a ceremony that begins at 14:00 local time (17:00 GMT). His term will run until March 2030.