After ten years of tense comings and goings, the Government accepted the request of the eastern government to be allowed to raise the depth of the access channel of the port of Montevideo from 13 to 14 meters. The decision would be reflected in a soon bilateral agreement.
As I had anticipated ClarionThe decision considered by Uruguayans as an extremely positive gesture by Foreign Minister Diana Mondino gained speed last week in the first meeting of the minister with her counterpart Omar Paganini. It was parallel to a meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers in Paraguay.
Now, Uruguayan sources told Clarion which received the green light from Argentina, in a technical meeting that took place this Wednesday via zoom. That meeting has not yet been reported by the Argentine parties.
Afterwards, they were promoted by Uruguayan officials who included diplomats from both countries and officials from the Administrative Commission of the Río de la Plata (CARP), who responded to the Undersecretary of American Affairs headed by Ambassador Mariano Vergara.
In Montevideo they asked for this gesture from Argentina to modernize its port that is now becoming. more competitive compared to Buenos Aires. the decision “breaks with the policy of I do not allow Uruguay to deepen its port and its access channel because then it harms me.”
A statement from the two countries is expected this Wednesday afternoon.
An extensive article today in the newspaper El Observador recalled the conflict of this dredging at 14 meters over the years.
During the government of Cristina Kirchner, in 2013, due to the conflict between the Néstor Kirchner and Tabaré Vázquez paper mills, there continued to be a very bad bilateral climate and the former president. I requested the order from Uruguay.
In 2018, under the government of Mauricio Macri, dredging from 12 meters to 13 meters was authorized, but an error by the Uruguayans led to the request being rectified to 14 meters.
Already under the government of Alberto Fernández and with the CARP highly questioned, the former Argentine representative Diego Tettamanti rejected the Uruguayan proposal with 28 objections. Tettamanti He is no longer in office, and the CARP would be subjected to a transparency process along with all the commissions that are under the orbit of the Foreign Ministry.
