“It would be a historic event to have, for the first time, a dry border with Argentina,” stressed the Uruguayan ambassador to Argentina, Héctor Lescano, regarding the studies that will enable the delimitation of the Martín García and Timoteo Domínguez islands, in the Río de la Plata. The binational commissions that manage the Uruguay and La Plata rivers gave an account of their actions in Buenos Aires this Friday (21.06.2019).
The San Martín Palace in Buenos Aires was the venue for the accountability meeting between the River Plate Administrative Commission (CARP) and the Uruguay River Administrative Commission (CARU), on a day highlighted by the Uruguayan ambassador as “an event of great importance, which aims at river integration.”
The technical and legal studies that CARP submitted to both governments, related to legal issues on the border between both islands, were presented.. Several committees also produced documents “with a very important level of management and execution,” Lescano said. “It would be a historic event to have, for the first time, a dry border with Argentina,” he asserted.
The ambassador pointed out that the possibility of public and private investments to make this new stage possible is foreseen. He recalled, for example, that four Argentine presidents were detained on Martín García Island, a territory where there is a museum and a native forest. “It will surely become a very important destination, within the framework of the tourism policies that the country is betting on,” he said.
The administrative committees also reported on the improvement of competitiveness associated with productive, environmental and social development, as well as port management and connectivity. Lescano also referred to the need to increase connectivity between the cities of Tigre (Argentina) and Carmelo (Uruguay).
Regarding the works on the Uruguay River and the dredging in the Martín García channel in the Río de la Plata, Lascano considers them strategic projects. from a geopolitical and geoeconomic perspective. He reiterated his assessment of the importance of rivers and basins, not only in terms of productive activity, but also for the transportation of goods. “These are issues that must be taken into account for the future,” he stressed.
"There is also a strategic view linked to the history and mandate of integration, with its encounters and disagreements," but, currently, "bilateral relations are at a very good moment and it is necessary to highlight this event."He said.
The dredging of the Martín García channel (34 feet in soft soil and 38 in hard soil) is a milestone. “It was a process carried out with great transparency and legal rigor,” he acknowledged.
As future challenges, he mentioned the articulation with the Mitre channel and the deepening of actions with the ports of Concepción del Uruguay and Paysandú..
In Salto Grande there is a project to maintain its structures, which is shared by both countries, with the participation of the Inter-American Development Bank. On the other hand, he indicated that the start of the works of the binational laboratory is imminent.
Regarding environmental responsibility, he said that monitoring rivers should be part of a policy of both countries, in which Brazil, where the Uruguay River originates, should also be involved.
Source: Presidency of Uruguay
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