Uruguay foreign minister Lubetkin grilled over Venezuela, China–Taiwan wording and US visas
The hearing lasted about five hours and also covered the handling of the Mercosur–European Union and Mercosur–Singapore agreements, as well as President Yamandú Orsi’s recent trip to China
Uruguay’s foreign minister Mario Lubetkin appeared before Parliament’s Permanent Commission after an opposition-led interpellation focused on the government’s stance on Venezuela, a Taiwan-related line included in a joint statement with China, and the lack of clarity over US immigration-visa restrictions affecting Uruguay.
The hearing —with deputy foreign minister Valeria Csukasi alongside Lubetkin— lasted about five hours and also covered the handling of the Mercosur–European Union and Mercosur–Singapore agreements, as well as President Yamandú Orsi’s recent trip to China with officials and business representatives.
On Venezuela, Lubetkin said the administration has taken “very clear” positions and argued Uruguay has not recognised Nicolás Maduro’s election outcome because “it was never clear what happened” and “official records were never published”; by “logical sense”, he added, the government also does not recognise Delcy Rodríguez. He stressed that “there must be democracy” in Venezuela, pointing to “free and democratic elections” and “guarantees at all levels” backed by “an organisation that can provide them”.
Lubetkin also warned against the precedent of allowing “this or that head of state” to decide what happens inside another country, referencing Venezuela’s new context after Maduro’s detention by the United States, and said Uruguay condemns an “international methodology” that, in his view, “should not have happened that way, regardless of the outcome”. Asked what comes next, he said the government is “monitoring” events and that “no one can say” how the situation may evolve.
A second flashpoint was the joint statement issued during Orsi’s China trip. National Party lawmaker Juan Martín Rodríguez singled out a sentence stating that “any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ runs counter to that principle and is therefore opposed”, calling it an unnecessary step. Lubetkin responded that the document is broadly similar to statements signed by previous Uruguayan presidents and said it does not change the substance, aside from a new chapter on “innovation and science”.
On trade, Csukasi said the official publication of the Mercosur–Singapore deal faced hurdles due to the document’s length, describing it as a lesson to prevent similar delays with the Mercosur–EU agreement.
The opposition also pressed the government over Uruguay’s inclusion on a US list suspending certain immigration visas. Lubetkin said he had “no updates” on why the decision was taken and argued Uruguay’s priority is to be removed from the list. He said the US embassy in Montevideo has shown an “extraordinary commitment” to resolving the issue, while Uruguay’s embassy in Washington is working with the State Department toward the same goal.
Closing the hearing, Lubetkin said foreign policy “is not spectacle politics” but “pragmatic and concrete”, and insisted the ministry is not focused on a single theatre but aims to “open all fronts”.
