RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The foreign ministers of Ecuador, Mauricio Montalvo, and Uruguay, Francisco Bustillos, will meet on Wednesday (8) in Ecuador to discuss regional integration and issues related to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, among other matters.
The two diplomats will discuss public health policies, economic reactivation, trade and investment exchange, strengthening democracy, human rights, human mobility and the fight against corruption, among other issues.
After the meeting, the ministers plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Diplomatic Academy of Ecuador and the Artigas Institute of Uruguay’s Foreign Service, seeking to strengthen diplomatic ties, academic training and institutional development in both countries.
According to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean Lotty Andrade, “the visit of the Uruguayan Foreign Minister is a testament to the close friendship between the two countries and the excellent level of their bilateral relations.”
It also “confirms that their governments share common principles regarding democracy, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and the protection of human rights.”
“In addition, this positive visit encourages a foreign policy consistent with president Guillermo Lasso’s government’s new vision of ‘more Ecuador in the world and more world in Ecuador’,” the diplomat said.
During its stay in the country, the Uruguayan delegation – which arrived on Tuesday and will remain until Thursday – will hold working meetings with government and private officials from the sectors of production and foreign trade, agriculture, energy and non-renewable natural resources, as well as the Latin American Energy Organization, according to the Foreign Ministry.