Brazil and Uruguay agree to advance physical integration in border area

Brazil and Uruguay agreed today, Tuesday, to advance physical integration in the border region between both countries by promoting several projects and infrastructures, such as the binationalization of the Rivera airport.

The agreement was sealed during the visit to Brazil of the Uruguayan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Bustillo; Economy and Finance, Azucena Arbeleche; and Transport and Public Works, José Luis Falero.

On the Brazilian side, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, and the Ministers of Finance, Fernando Haddad, of Transport, Renan Filho, and of Ports and Airports, Márcio França.

According to a joint communiqué, during the meeting, it was agreed to convert the Rivera airport, in the north of Uruguay, into a binational airport and to put out to tender “as a public work” the dredging of the Uruguay-Brazil waterway between the Merín lagoon, in Uruguay, and the Patos lagoon, in Brazil.

The tender for the construction of the bridge over the Yaguarón River will also be opened, and preparations will be resumed to rehabilitate the road crossing between the cities of Yaguarón, in Brazil, and Río Branco, in Uruguay: the historic Barón de Mauá Bridge, a work to be carried out once the new bridge is operational.

“The issues addressed are of great importance and relevance for bilateral relations” and are also the result of the visit that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made to Uruguay in his third week in office, Vieira said after the meeting in an appearance with his Uruguayan counterpart.

According to Vieira, Lula’s visit to Montevideo at the end of January to meet with his Uruguayan counterpart, Luis Lacalle Pou, made clear “the importance Brazil gives to bilateral relations during this new administration”.

For his part, Chancellor Bustillo highlighted the value of the agreed works for the life of the population living in the border region and celebrated the excellent state of bilateral relations.

He explained that they are complying “with the historical mandate” and specifically with that of the two presidents, “who entrusted us with advancing in concrete issues of historical integration, and especially physical integration”.

He stressed that real integration is physical since there is no turning back.

“We talked about all Mercosur (Southern Common Market) issues, tariffs, exceptions, restrictions, that can move forward or backward. What can never go backward is physical work such as the one we agreed on between Uruguay and Brazil at this moment”, he detailed.