07/07/2021 17:33
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 07/07/2021 17:33
Uruguay announced this Wednesday to its Mercosur partners that it will begin to negotiate
trade agreements with third countries
, a decision that until now required consensus of the members and that happens after the strong differences between Alberto Fernández and his Uruguayan counterpart Luis Lacalle Pou.
This was reported by the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry
after the ordinary meeting
of the Common Market Council of the bloc.
"Uruguay, while
claiming its membership of Mercosur
, announced that it will begin to talk with third parties to negotiate extra-zone trade agreements," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The hot virtual meeting in March between Mercosur leaders.
The Uruguayan government "understands that decision 32/00 (NdelR: from the year 2000) is not in force," added the document, referring to the commitment of the States parties to negotiate trade agreements with third countries or blocs
only jointly
or
jointly.
after authorization from the other Mercosur partners.
This is a point that aroused strong
risks in the
regional
bloc
, since both Uruguay and Brazil had expressed their desire to make free trade agreements with other countries and regions more flexible.
In addition, they demanded to discuss the reduction of the Common External Tariff of the bloc.
Instead, Alberto Fernández had opposed this possibility.
"We do not believe that the linear reduction of the external tariff is the best instrument.
Argentina proposes to preserve the balance
between agricultural and industrial sectors, with social justice, in a context of absolute global uncertainty," said the President last March, in a heated meeting by Zoom.
The Argentine President then pointed to Lacalle, without naming him.
"That we can all feel like brothers. If we have become something else, a burden, I am sorry. We did not want to be a burden to anyone," said the president.
And he concluded provocatively: "
We don't want to be anyone's burden
. If we are a burden, let them take another ship."
"The sizzling that there may be should not be an obstacle to build," Lacalle Pou replied in turn.
News in development
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