'We won't back any economic blockade to Malvinas,' Uruguay's Almagro

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Luis Almagro rejected and denied all journalistic pieces indicating that a group of Uruguayans businessmen would be travelling to Malvinas islands within the next weeks in order to extend commercial links and pursue new ventures, thus playing down the sayings of the VP of the British Chambers of Commerce in the neighbouring country.

“The pieces of information published yesterday by the media were simply crazy and senseless. There are neither an official nor private business missions travelling to Malvinas.”

Almagro's statement surprised everybody as it was the very same Vice President of the British Chambers of Commerce in Uruguay, Guillermo Wild, who confirmed yesterday to the BuenosAiresHerald.com that a Uruguayan trade mission should arrive to the islands within the next days to explore business opportunities.

Further surprising was the conversation Almagro held with reporters of El Universal radio station of Montevideo as the minister confirmed that an air-freight will departure from Montevideo and land on Malvinas on April 13 carrying Uruguayan goods following commercial agreements clinched by a group of 19 businessmen of the neighbouring country during a private trip to the Islands last February. A private trade mission that had received the go-ahead of Uruguay’s President José Mujica.  

"Uruguayan businessmen are free to negotiate with whoever they want", Almagro said.

Sensationalist British tabloid The Sun published yesterday a piece indicating that a group of Uruguayan businessmen would travel to the South Atlantic archipelago with the intention of opening business talks as well to help Islanders to cope with an alleged Argentine “economic blockade” by flying bottled water and freight into the islands.

On this matter, Almagro emphasized that "Uruguay won’t back any kind of economic blockade as such a measure would represent a violation to the human rights of the Islanders, and we keep the same stand we have on the blockade the US imposes to Cuba."