{
  "id": 2446453,
  "title": "Uruguay's president meets Kicillof and agrees to cooperate on food and scientific research",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/uruguays-president-meets-kicillof-and-agrees-to-cooperate-on-food-and",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-21T22:41:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MercoPress",
    "slug": "mercopress",
    "url": "https://en.mercopress.com/2026/08/21/uruguay-s-president-meets-kicillof-and-agrees-to-cooperate-on-food-and-scientific-research"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi met with Argentine Buenos Aires provincial governor Axel Kicillof at the Torre Ejecutiva in Montevideo. They signed two cooperation agreements focusing on agrifood and scientific matters. The first agreement establishes collaboration between Uruguay's Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Buenos Aires provincial counterpart, and the Metropolitan Agrifood Unit, a wholesale food market in Montevideo. This agreement aims to share information on production methods, training, certification, and support for family-run operations and small businesses. Kicillof explained that it functions similarly to Buenos Aires' Mercado Central wholesale market.\n\nThe second agreement is between the Scientific Research Commission of Buenos Aires province and Uruguay's main public university, the University of the Republic. This cooperation seeks to strengthen research, science, and innovation institutions. Kicillof attributed this initiative to the defunding of the scientific sector by Argentina's current government under Javier Milei. This is not the first time the two provinces have collaborated; they already have operating agreements with Montevideo city government.\n\nDuring the meeting, Kicillof praised President Orsi's perspective on regional and international issues. He also criticized the Argentine government's foreign policy, specifically Milei's participation in a campaign event for Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. Kicillof believed this conduct caused a diplomatic \"fragility\" situation. Brazil responded by downgrading relations with Buenos Aires to chargé d'affaires level on August 4, following Milei's insults directed at Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Argentine government did not respond to Kicillof's remarks.\n\nThe visit coincided with the third Pan-American Congress, a forum held in Montevideo from Friday to Sunday, featuring over 150 participants from 15 countries. Kicillof addressed attendees at the opening event at Teatro Solís, alongside former Chilean president Gabriel Boric and U.S. and Brazilian lawmakers.",
  "summary": "Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi on Friday received the governor of Argentina's Buenos Aires province, Axel Kicillof, at the Torre Ejecutiva in Montevideo, where the two signed two cooperation agreements covering agrifood and scientific matters.",
  "key_points": [
    "Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi meets Argentine governor Axel Kicillof.",
    "They sign cooperation agreements on agrifood and scientific research.",
    "Kicillof criticizes Argentina's government for defunding science."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MercoPress",
        "title": "Uruguay's president meets Kicillof and agrees to cooperate on food and scientific research",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/uruguays-president-meets-kicillof-and-agrees-to-cooperate-on-food-and-2448787",
        "published": "2026-08-21T22:41:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}