Uruguay leaves Unasur and returns to the defense treaty with the US.

By Marieta Cazarré - Reporter for Agência Brasil

The foreign minister of Uruguay's new government, Ernesto Talvi, announced that the country will leave the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and return to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). The announcements show a shift in the direction of the country's foreign relations.

For the past 15 years, Uruguay has been governed by the left-wing Broad Front coalition. On March 1st of this year, Luis Lacalle Pou was sworn in as president after winning last year's elections. Lacalle Pou is center-right.

The country's current foreign minister, Ernesto Talvi, also participated in the presidential race, running for the Colorado Party, and obtained about 12% of the vote in the first round. In the second round, he supported Lacalle Pou, forming a coalition with Guido Maníni Ríos's Cabildo Abierto party.

Advertisements

Yesterday (10), Ernesto Talvi made the first important announcement of his new administration. Uruguay's withdrawal from Unasur, according to the government, is due to the fact that the organization has ceased to function. In addition to being without a secretary-general since 2017, it does not have a headquarters and has been abandoned by most countries. Currently, only Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela remain in the organization.

In April of last year, the governments of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, and Peru jointly decided to withdraw from UNASUR due to the prolonged crisis within the organization.

Talvi also announced Uruguay's return to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR). In September 2019, then-Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nín Nóvoa announced the beginning of the country's withdrawal process. At the time, Uruguay was the only country, among the 19 members, that voted against activating the mechanism that allows for anything from breaking off diplomatic relations with Venezuela to a military intervention in the country.

The TIAR is a mutual defense treaty signed in the 1940s between several American countries. The central principle of the agreement is that an attack against one member will be considered an attack against all, based on the so-called "doctrine of hemispheric defense." The United States is one of the member states.

Now, Uruguay's withdrawal process has been halted so that the country can rejoin the organization. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "with this decision, Uruguay ensures its continued participation in the TIAR, within which it will continue to participate and make its positions known. With this measure, the country also reinforces its historical commitment to the Inter-American system."

"The new administration understands that withdrawing from the TIAR weakened the Inter-American system and deprived our country of making its voice heard in this area of ​​mutual assistance in matters of collective defense and hemispheric security," the statement said.

The Uruguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs further stated that the new government's shift in focus aims to commit to multilateralism, strengthen the OAS, and form alliances based on strong institutions and "not on ideological affinities."

First Mission

Talvi also announced that his first official mission as Foreign Minister will be the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) on March 20th in Washington, D.C., United States. The election of the organization's Secretary-General will take place on that date. Talvi has already publicly stated that he will support the re-election of the current Secretary-General, Luis Almagro.

The chancellor also said that Uruguay is evaluating invitations to join the Lima Group and Prosul.

The Lima Group currently comprises, in addition to Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, and Venezuela. It is the main regional forum for discussion on the Venezuelan crisis and for coordinating common positions among member countries in international forums.

The Prosul program comprises Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guyana, and Peru. The requirements for participation in the organization are: a fully functioning democracy, respecting the separation of powers, freedom and human rights, as well as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Prosul addresses issues of integration in infrastructure, energy, health, defense, security and combating crime, and the prevention and management of natural disasters.