🇺🇾 Good conversation this afternoon at the Egmont Palace with my colleague from Uruguay, Mario Lubetkin.
Uruguay is a stable democracy and a reliable place to invest. It’s no coincidence that Belgium is one of the largest investors in Uruguay. Companies like Katoen Natie have been active there since the 1990s, helping to build up the port of Montevideo, one of the region’s main gateways.
Those same ports connect us in a less welcome fight. The cocaine leaving South America makes its way to European ports, Antwerp among them. No country stops that trade on its own. So we work together across countries of origin, transit and destination on safer ports, stronger customs, and closer police cooperation. Just this month, police services from across Latin America came to Brussels for exactly that, at the invitation of our Egmont Institute.
We also discussed the bigger picture in the region, where Uruguay plays a leading role at the helm of both Mercosur and CELAC. And with the EU-Mercosur agreement now within reach, a new chapter is opening. I have the intention to travel to Uruguay in early 2027 to strengthen our ties further.
: Maxime Prévot
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium