Uruguay gov't says trade balance with Argentina 'definitely positive'

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro assured that the trade balance between his country and Argentina is “definitely positive,” although he admitted that some of the country’s industrial leaders “have been affected” by the current obstructions applied by the local Government to products imported from the neighbouring country.

The Uruguayan official said that after analyzing the trade difficulties affecting Uruguayan exports and other measures that could affect his country’s trade relationship with Argentina, his government has seen by the end of 2011 “an important 17 percent increase in exports to Argentina.” 

He then concluded that “the trade balance is definitely positive, especially if we take into account that these is the highest number of exports we’ve had in the last 20 years.”

“If I have to be honest, there were some sectors in the Uruguayan industry, such as the textile and print sectors, that were especially affected by the Argentine imports block,” he concluded.