United States and Uruguay Hold First Annual Bilateral Inter-Ministerial Dialogue

You are subscribed to Western Hemisphere for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. United States and Uruguay Hold First Annual Bilateral Inter-Ministerial Dialogue 11/17/2022 09:33 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson Building on an already strong bilateral partnership, the United States and Uruguay yesterday convened the first Bilateral Inter-ministerial Dialogue (ABID) focused on strengthening cooperation in key areas of mutual interest. Western Hemisphere Affairs Assistant Secretary Brian A. Nichols led the U.S. delegation, and Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo led for Uruguay. The ABID underscored the strong commitment of both countries to strengthen and expand current close collaboration on a range of issues, including bilateral trade and investment, promoting regional and global security, addressing climate change, supporting democracy, and promoting equality and inclusion. Talks focused on the importance of strengthening bilateral economic ties, including the potential benefits of the new Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity announced by President Biden at the Ninth Summit of the Americas in June. The discussion also took note of the ongoing negotiations, led by the U.S. Trade Representative, to update and expand the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Participants highlighted Uruguay's service exports to the United States totaling more than $1 billion annually, and Uruguay's leadership in the region on clean energy. Uruguay agreed to join the Atlantic Cooperation initiative, to work with nations across the North and South Atlantic on an array of shared challenges. Jointly recognizing growing regional and global security challenges, the United States reiterated its commitment to support Uruguay in addressing security threats as well as building on our strong military relationship. The parties explored ways to expand law enforcement cooperation to help improve port security and combat organized crime, international money laundering, and growing cybersecurity threats. On climate change, the parties noted that their respective national delegations are already working together at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The parties pledged to build on that cooperation to advance important initiatives including the Dairy Net Zero project, the Global Methane Pledge, and climate finance proposals. Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to promote racial and ethnic equality and social inclusion. They discussed their joint efforts in Uruguay to support promotion of equality of opportunity, including U.S. Embassy-sponsored programs to help improve access to the labor market for all. The dialogue concluded with the parties celebrating their shared democratic values, dedication to protecting human rights, advancing equitable development, and fighting the threat of climate change—objectives that are fundamental to freedom, security, and opportunity. For further information, please contact Christina Tilghman at TilghmanCI@state.gov. Stay connected with the State Department: External links found in this content or on Department of State websites that go to other non-Department websites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.    Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This email was sent to ignoble.experiment@arconati.us using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Department of State · 2201 C Street NW · Washington, DC 20520