The Foreign Ministers of Paraguay, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano; Bolivia, Fernando Hugo Aramayo Carrasco; and Uruguay, Mario Israel Lubetkin, signed a joint statement for the formal reactivation of the trilateral integration mechanism Urupabol. The ceremony took place in Asunción, on the sidelines of the LXVIII Ordinary Meeting of the Common Market Council of Mercosur.
The document reaffirms the commitment of the three countries to strengthen Urupabol as a space for coordination, cooperation, and integration, focusing on regional political dialogue and a common agenda in areas of shared interest. It was established that the Plurinational State of Bolivia will assume the Pro Tempore Secretariat of the bloc, responsible for following up on the understandings and coordinating the next steps.
Originally conceived in 1963, Urupabol aims to unify the positions of economies of relatively smaller scale in the Southern Cone. The reactivation seeks to optimize comparative advantages, such as Uruguayan port access for Bolivian and Paraguayan trade, and to promote joint projects in infrastructure, logistics, connectivity, and energy.
During the Mercosur meeting, the Paraguayan Chancellor, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, highlighted the importance of the regional bloc and expressed concern about the situation in Bolivia, reiterating the call for respect for the constitutional order. He also emphasized the need to deepen cooperation against transnational organized crime, citing the Ciudad del Este Declaration on regional security.
The Urupabol documents will be submitted for consideration by the presidents of the three countries. Meanwhile, the Mercosur presidential summit is taking place today, with the attendance of seven heads of state, where Paraguay will hand over the pro tempore presidency to Uruguay. The Argentine president, Javier Milei, decided not to attend the meeting.