After the meeting that the Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, held Monday with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsonthe Uruguayan Foreign Ministry reported that both governments committed to “improve cooperation in Defense and Security in matters of mutual interest”.
“The UK will continue to invest in training and education opportunities for the Uruguayan Armed Forces,” says a statement from the neighboring Foreign Office. The text ensures that the United Kingdom “will provide support in fundamental areas of peacekeeping to support Uruguay as a valuable contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.”
Both countries, informs the Foreign Ministry, will continue with the agreements already established and in particular “they promised to continue developing the already existing links in the Antarctic theme”.
A statement from the British government highlighted on Monday that Johnson and Lacalle Pou “committed to take immediate measures to reduce trade barriers” between the two countries, and to promote “greater private sector investment in green finance and green energy.”
On security, the leaders “agreed to promote defense cooperation, including defense procurement, in support of regional and international security.”
war in ukraine
On other topics, Lacalle Pou and Johnson spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and agreed on “the need to agree on peaceful multilateral solutions to world problems.” In this sense, they condemned “the unjustified and unprovoked invasion”, which had a “tragic human cost”, and “showed concern about the migration crisis, the use of disinformation and the interruption of the global food supply chain”.
In the brief joint press conference held by the leaders on Monday, they decided to highlight the trade link between the two countries. The Foreign Ministry reported that the leaders “pointed out the enormous growth potential of commercial and economic ties and celebrated the announcement of the British firm GSK [sobre la apertura de uno de sus tres nuevos centros regionales de distribución de vacunas en Uruguay”. La empresa inaugurará un nuevo centro en los próximos dos meses, desde el que se distribuirán más de 12 millones de vacunas al año en seis países de la región.
Ambos países apuntan a ‘reducir las barreras para las empresas y fortalecer la cooperación multilateral’ que, resaltaron, tendrá énfasis en ‘los sectores de transporte, financiero, tecnológico, energético y agrícola’
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Además destacaron las reuniones que mantendrán las delegaciones de ambos países para ampliar “la colaboración para reducir las barreras para las empresas y fortalecer la cooperación multilateral” que, según resaltaron, tendrá énfasis en “los sectores de transporte, financiero, tecnológico, energético y agrícola”.
La embajadora de Gran Bretaña en Uruguay, Faye O’Connor, viajó a su país para oficiar de anfitriona de Lacalle Pou y acompañar las actividades de la delegación del gobierno uruguayo en tierras británicas. En la noche del martes, escribió en Twitter: “Hasta luego, señor Presidente. Un placer y un honor recibirlo en mi país. Ya terminó la visita… y empezó el trabajo para convertir todas las oportunidades en resultados”.
También O’Connor destacó lo hecho por otros integrantes de la delegación: la ministra de Economía, Azucena Arbeleche, “habló sobre el crecimiento verde”; el ministro de Industria, Omar Paganini, “conversó con empresas sobre hidrógeno verde” y el canciller Francisco Bustillo junto con Arbeleche “impulsaron el comercio con el ministro [de Comercio Internacional británico, Ranil] Jayawardena ”.
The meeting
Lacalle Pou and Johnson agreed on Monday in London that it is “the time” to take bilateral relations to “a new level”, especially in terms of trade, reported the Uruguayan press, which He speculated that the two countries might negotiate a free trade agreement.
“Despite the fact that they are members of a distinguished group such as Mercosur, we are in tune with finding new ways (to link) together; there’s a lot we can do, so thanks for coming to London, it’s good to see you”, said Johnson as a welcome to Lacalle Pou, before talking alone. The Uruguayan president returned the greeting: “Thank you for the invitation. I’m going to use your words: it’s time. It’s time in trade, it’s time to strengthen relationships, very old relationships, so we can take them to the next level”.
The two leaders appeared before the press at the Downing Street residence, where Johnson stressed that relations between the two countries “go back a long time, have been exceptionally close and now is the time to take them to a new level and particularly in what has to do with trade.
With information from the newspaper and Télam
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