Argentina – Uruguay: Meeting of foreign ministers on the Martín García Island

Today, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra and her Uruguayan counterpart, Rodolfo Nin Novoa, met on the Martín García Island on the occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of the Establishment of the River Plate Administrative Commission (CARP in the Spanish acronym).

“On this anniversary we are sharing projects for the river, working together in a coordinated fashion on the dredging of the river and on several important initiatives related to the ports of both countries. It is also worth noting that we are actually on the island, which is a good opportunity for us, Argentine citizens, to showcase it, develop it and increase its value, and for Uruguayan citizens to come and share it with us,” said Malcorra.

“From the moment they held their first meeting, Presidents Macri and Tabaré Vazquez said ‘this is simple: we will work together.’ Because we believe that we can only see ourselves as integrated and coordinated working partners, which does not mean that we will always be 100% in agreement, but that, if there is disagreement, we will sit at the negotiating table and settle any issue,” remarked the Argentine Foreign Minister. 

Malcorra was joined by the Minister of Transport, Guillermo Dietrich; the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Santos; the Argentine Ambassador to Uruguay, Guillermo Montenegro, and the Head of the Argentine Delegation before CARP, Guillermo Gonzalez. The Secretary General of the Buenos Aires Provincial Government, Fabián Perechodnik, and the Undersecretary for Tourism, Ignacio Crotto, were present as well. “This is very important to us and that is why we are all working together,” Malcorra stated.

For Uruguay, apart from the Foreign Minister, participants included the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Victor Rossi; the Minister of Tourism, Liliam Kechichian; the Ambassador to Argentina, Héctor Lescano, and the Head of the Uruguayan Delegation, Felipe Michelini Delle Piane. 

Dietrich said to the press: “We are once again working together with our neighbours towards the productive development of our nations. Deepening the Martin Garcia canal has a direct impact on our economy, since 80% of its traffic departs from or arrives at Argentine ports. We continue working in order to have the necessary infrastructure to grow, create jobs and develop Argentina.”

For his part, Minister Santos added: “We, at the Ministry of Tourism, are restoring the island from a structural point of view and improving access to it so that it will become a more attractive destination.”

During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers reviewed the main projects under analysis in relation to the River Plate, which are of interest to both countries.

The Ministers also took the political decision to instruct CARP to issue an international call for bids in the upcoming weeks in order to dredge and provide maintenance for the River Plate channels located between km 37 (Barra del Farallón) and km 0 of the Uruguay River, at 34 feet from the mean low tide lower limit tidal datum, without prejudice to the project to dredge at a greater depth once the Emilio Mitre Canal is reached. Furthermore, on hard bottoms, depth will have to reach 38 feet from the mean low tide lower limit tidal datum, in accordance with international standards, especially with PIANC standards.

As regards the Project to Deepen and Expand the Access Canal to the Montevideo Port, the Uruguayan Foreign Minister underscored that the Uruguayan Government will propose a change in the design under analysis, with a modification in the final design for the canal, which would facilitate the crossing of vessels arriving at or departing from the Main Access to Argentine Ports through the Punta Indio Canal and would guarantee navigation safety for both countries.

With respect to Tourism Development for the Martin Garcia and Timoteo Dominguez Islands, the countries agreed to develop a tourist center on both islands and to restore their value.

Furthermore, CARP was instructed to carry on with the actions aimed at determining the boundaries between both islands and the natural points of access to the Martín García Island, pursuant to article 46 of the Treaty of the River Plate and its Maritime Front.

Press Release: Nº084/17

Press Office: 4819-7375 / 8296 / 7388

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