President Piñera attends inauguration of new Uruguayan President
The President of Chile arrived in Montevideo along with other leaders from across the region to attend the inauguration of Luis Lacalle Pou. President Piñera met with the King of Spain and with his Brazilian, Colombian and Paraguayan counterparts.
President Sebastián Piñera attended Sunday’s inauguration of Luis Lacalle Pou as the new President of Uruguay.
He attended the Constitutional Commitment of Honor Ceremony at the Legislative Palace for President Lacalle Pou and Vice President Beatriz Argimón. He and other heads of state then continued on to Independence Square, where the new President of Uruguay and new government ministers officially took office.
Chile’s President greeted his new Uruguayan counterpart during a ceremony at Edificio Artigas and invited him to visit Chile and his country to join Prosur.
“We have come here to attend President Lacalle’s inauguration and to wish him the best of luck, because direct contact between presidents allows us to move forward quickly. A direct relationship, looking each other in the eye, is very important for solving problems,” President Piñera said.
During his visit to Montevideo, Chile’s President also met with King Felipe VI of Spain. They discussed expanding the free trade agreement between Chile and the European Union and other issues in Latin America that are of interest to both countries. President Piñera also invited the King to visit Chile in 2020 to participate in the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Strait of Magellan.
President Piñera then met with Colombian President Iván Duque. They spoke about the importance of promoting greater trade and economic links between the two countries and strengthening the Pacific Alliance.
The President of Chile also held a meeting with his Paraguayan counterpart, President Mario Abdo Benítez. They discussed intentions to strengthen ties within Prosur, to move forward on the construction of a bi-oceanic corridor that would link the port of Murtinho in Brazil with ports in northern Chile, and to deepen trade links between the two countries.
Finally, President Piñera met with President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil to discuss the progress that is being made on the fiber-optic cable project that Santiago and Brasilia are promoting to connect South America and Asia.