Uruguay has hinted to the local press that it will go-ahead with or without its Mercosur counterparts in a round of negotiations to reach trade agreements with the EU, the US, South Korea and Canada.
The South American nation formally proposed the trade negotiations in early August but delegates from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay have abstained from an immediate reply arguing they still have to define the issue.
Mercosur trade agreements with other countries is a priority for Uruguay, according to Elbio Roselli, head of the Economic Affairs and Mercosur Department in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, who has insisted on the need for sufficient “flexibility” so that each member country can advance at different speeds.
Indeed, Uruguayan President Tabare Vásquez hassuggested that his administration would push ahead with a bilateral relation with South Korea if other Mercosur partners remain undecided on the deal.
Uruguay is also currently negotiating with the US to establish a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
