In Montevideo, this Tuesday (06.12.2022), the Second day of the Mercosur Summit 2022, with the meeting of the Heads of State of Member States and Associate States.
President Luis Lacalle Pou, who holds the Pro-Tempore Presidency of the bloc, will receive in the capital the Argentine President Alberto Fernández and the Paraguayan President Mario Abdo, as well as the Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao. They will be joined by the representative of Bolivia (Rogelio Mayta Mayta, Minister of Foreign Affairs).
The first day of meetings was marked by meetings and speeches by the foreign ministers of the bloc's countries and member states.
The antagonistic speeches of the Uruguayan foreign minister, Francisco Bustillo, and the Argentinean, Santiago Cafiero, were the protagonists of the tense meeting on Monday.
There, Bustillo insisted on Uruguay's open stance and considered that the Mercosur countries cannot remain "immobile", alluding to the need for flexibility that allows the countries of the bloc to negotiate outside, as our country is doing with China.
In response, the Argentine foreign minister said that Uruguayan proposals could lead to differences not being able to be resolved within Mercosur. “We are concerned that a path is being taken that appears to be unilateral and that could very likely lead to a rupture,” he said.
In recent weeks, tensions between Uruguay and the rest of the bloc's countries added another chapter when the Uruguayan government formally presented its letter of request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), something that earned it a letter from Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil announcing possible measures in the event of a breakthrough on that issue.
This episode is expected to be on the table during the exchange between the leaders on Tuesday.
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