Uruguay's president meets Kicillof and agrees to cooperate on food and scientific research

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi met with Argentine Governor Axel Kicillof in Montevideo on Friday, signing two cooperation agreements focused on agrifood and scientific matters. The first agreement establishes collaboration between Uruguay's Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries, the Buenos Aires provincial government, and the Metropolitan Agrifood Unit, a wholesale food market in Montevideo.

This partnership aims to exchange information on production methods, training, certification, support for family-run businesses, and joint policies to reduce food loss and waste.

The second agreement involves the Scientific Research Commission of Buenos Aires province and Uruguay's University of the Republic. Its goal is to strengthen research, science, and innovation institutions. Governor Kicillof attributed this initiative to the defunding of the scientific sector by the government of Javier Milei. This is not the first cooperation agreement between the two regions, as they already have agreements in place with the Montevideo city government.

During his visit, Kicillof criticized the Argentine government's foreign policy, particularly Milei's participation in a campaign event for Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. He claimed that Milei's conduct was detrimental to Argentina and contributed to diplomatic fragility. Brazil downgraded its relations with Buenos Aires to chargé d'affaires level following Milei's insults towards Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. However, the Argentine government did not respond to Kicillof's remarks.

The visit took place during the third Pan-American Congress, a forum of progressive forces held in Montevideo from Friday to Sunday. Over 150 participants from fifteen countries attended the event, which featured speakers such as former Chilean president Gabriel Boric and U.S. and Brazilian lawmakers.