Foreign relations of Uruguay

Uruguay traditionally has had strong political and cultural links with its neighbours and Europe. British diplomat Alfred Mitchell-Innes was Minister to Uruguay throughout the crucial years of World War I (1913–1919).

With globalization and regional economic problems, its links to North America have strengthened. Uruguay is a strong advocate of constitutional democracy, political pluralism, and individual liberties. Its international relations historically have been guided by the principles of nonintervention, multilateralism, respect for national sovereignty, and reliance on the rule of law to settle disputes. Uruguay's international relations also reflect its drive to seek export markets and foreign investment. It is a founding member of MERCOSUR. In June 1991, MERCOSUR and the United States signed the Rose Garden Agreement (also known as the "Four Plus One" Agreement). The agreement was non-operational until June 2001 when MERCOSUR invited the U.S. to discuss the feasibility of market access negotiations. The first U.S.-MERCOSUR meeting was held on September 24, 2001, and resulted in the creation of four working groups on industrial trade, e-commerce, agriculture, and investment.

Uruguay was a member of the Rio Group, an association of Latin American states that deals with multilateral security issues (under the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance), prior to the group's dissolution in 2011. Uruguay's location between Argentina and Brazil makes close relations with these two larger neighbors and MERCOSUR associate members Chile and Bolivia particularly important. An early proponent of the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative, Uruguay has actively participated in the follow-up process to the periodic Summits of the Americas, especially the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Often considered a neutral country and blessed with a professional diplomatic corps, Uruguay is often called on to preside international bodies. Most recently, Uruguay was selected to chair the FTAA and WTO agricultural committees and a Uruguayan presides over the WTO General Assembly. Uruguay also is a member of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), a trade association based in Montevideo that includes 10 South American countries plus Mexico and Cuba.

In 2020, the new right-wing president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, announced that he will implement radical changes in Uruguay's foreign policy, taking a harder attitude against disputed President Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela and improving relations with the U.S. The previous left-wing government of Uruguay had recognized Maduro as Venezuela's president. President Luis Lacalle Pou also declared the presidents of Venezuela and Cuba to be "dictators."^[1]

Disputes - international: Uncontested disputes with Brazil over tiny Isla Brasilera at the mouth of the Quarai/Cuareim River near the Argentina tripoint, and, 225 kilometers upriver, over the 235 km². Invernada River region, as to which tributary is the legitimate source of the Quarai/Cuareim River.

In the 1960s, the US Office of Public Safety helped in training Uruguayan police officers. Dan Mitrione taught torture methods used against the civilian population and the Tupamaros.^[2]

List of countries which Uruguay maintains diplomatic relations with:

More information #, Country ...

#	Country	Date
1	Argentina	29 September 1829[3]
2	Brazil	29 September 1829[4]
3	Mexico	22 February 1831[5]
4	United Kingdom	21 February 1833[6]
5	France	8 April 1836[7]
6	Denmark	28 February 1842[8]
7	Bolivia	1 November 1843[9]
8	Chile	1 November 1843[10]
9	Paraguay	1 January 1846[11]
10	Portugal	14 February 1846[12]
11	Belgium	30 April 1853[13]
12	Russia	10 December 1857[14][15]
13	Peru	16 May 1862[16]
14	Italy	13 August 1862[17]
15	United States	2 October 1867[18]
16	Spain	19 July 1870[19]
—	Holy See	31 December 1877[20]
17	Ecuador	15 December 1887[21]
18	Colombia	25 August 1888[22]
19	Venezuela	27 May 1891[23]
20	Switzerland	8 April 1892[24]
21	Netherlands	15 April 1896[25][26]
22	Cuba	1 September 1902[27]
23	Serbia	19 February 1904[28][29]
24	Panama	28 October 1904[30]
25	Norway	3 April 1906[31]
26	Sweden	6 August 1906[32]
27	Guatemala	16 March 1907[33]
28	Greece	19 April 1920[34]
29	Austria	30 June 1920[35]
30	Poland	22 July 1920[36]
31	Czech Republic	16 August 1921[37]
32	Japan	24 September 1921[38]
33	Dominican Republic	27 November 1925[39][40]
34	El Salvador	11 January 1929[41]
35	Honduras	11 January 1929[42]
36	Nicaragua	11 January 1929[43][44]
37	Costa Rica	16 January 1930[45]
38	Egypt	25 February 1932[46]
39	Albania	23 April 1932[47]
40	Turkey	8 December 1933[48]
41	Luxembourg	6 January 1934[49]
42	Finland	21 March 1935[50]
43	Romania	24 July 1935[51]
44	Haiti	5 September 1945[52]
45	Lebanon	25 October 1945[53]
46	Syria	11 October 1946[54]
47	Canada	11 March 1948[55]
48	Israel	19 May 1948[56]
49	India	5 November 1948[57]
50	Australia	15 December 1948[58]
51	Germany	9 January 1952[59]
52	Hungary	14 June 1956[60]
53	Bulgaria	21 May 1958[61]
54	New Zealand	27 September 1962[62]
55	Morocco	20 December 1962[63]
56	Algeria	21 August 1964[46]
57	South Korea	7 October 1964[64]
58	Pakistan	1964[65]
59	Nigeria	20 February 1965[46]
—	Sovereign Military Order of Malta	1 July 1965[66]
60	Tunisia	16 September 1965[46]
61	Trinidad and Tobago	22 November 1965[67]
62	Cyprus	24 November 1965[68]
63	Indonesia	9 June 1966[69]
64	Barbados	6 December 1967[70]
65	South Africa	22 April 1968[46]
66	Saudi Arabia	9 July 1974[71]
67	Malta	13 October 1975[72]
68	Iran	25 November 1975[73]
69	Philippines	29 December 1975[74]
70	Thailand	15 June 1976[75]
71	Senegal	8 May 1978[46]
72	Suriname	9 March 1979[76]
73	United Arab Emirates	8 April 1980[77]
74	Kuwait	1980[78]
75	Equatorial Guinea	15 September 1981[46]
76	Iraq	13 October 1981[79]
77	Ghana	24 May 1982[46]
78	Gabon	14 June 1982[46]
79	Kenya	20 July 1982[80]
80	Bahamas	25 November 1982[81]
81	Democratic Republic of the Congo	31 March 1984[82]
82	Ivory Coast	1 September 1984[46]
83	Jamaica	23 May 1985[83]
84	Guyana	3 June 1985[83]
85	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	13 June 1985[84]
86	Grenada	20 September 1985[83]
87	Jordan	14 January 1987[85]
88	Angola	6 March 1987[83]
89	Qatar	16 March 1987[86]
90	Tanzania	1 April 1987[83]
91	Oman	6 April 1987[87]
92	Antigua and Barbuda	27 April 1987[88]
94	Bangladesh	15 July 1987[89]
94	Saint Kitts and Nevis	15 July 1987[90]
95	Singapore	15 September 1987[91]
96	Republic of the Congo	22 September 1987[46]
97	Belize	28 September 1987[83]
98	Malaysia	5 January 1988[83]
99	China	3 February 1988[83]
100	Central African Republic	14 March 1989[46]
101	Mauritania	23 March 1989[83]
102	Saint Lucia	1 September 1989[83]
103	São Tomé and Príncipe	26 September 1990[46]
104	Afghanistan	4 October 1990[83]
105	Iceland	18 June 1991[92]
106	Libya	4 October 1991[83]
107	Ukraine	18 May 1992[93]
108	Armenia	27 May 1992[94]
109	Latvia	6 July 1992[83]
110	Belarus	7 July 1992[83]
111	Estonia	30 September 1992[83]
112	Slovakia	1 January 1993[95]
113	Lithuania	8 March 1993[83]
114	Slovenia	26 April 1993[83]
115	Croatia	4 May 1993[96]
116	Kazakhstan	30 July 1993[83]
117	Vietnam	11 August 1993[83]
118	Kyrgyzstan	13 August 1993[83]
119	Mozambique	28 October 1993[63]
120	Liechtenstein	25 April 1994[97]
121	Georgia	11 May 1994[98]
122	Namibia	13 September 1994[46]
123	Brunei	19 September 1994[83]
124	Cambodia	29 September 1994[83]
125	Azerbaijan	11 January 1995[83]
126	Bahrain	25 May 1995[99]
127	Bosnia and Herzegovina	28 September 1995[83]
128	Ireland	16 February 1996[100]
129	Moldova	14 May 1996[83]
130	Turkmenistan	16 July 1996[101]
131	Fiji	17 September 1996[83]
132	Andorra	27 November 1996[102]
133	Mongolia	7 October 1997[83]
134	Uzbekistan	25 May 1998[103]
135	Lesotho	26 May 1998[83]
136	Tajikistan	1 October 1998[83]
137	Zimbabwe	9 April 1999[63]
138	Sri Lanka	21 July 1999[83]
139	San Marino	22 September 1999[83]
140	Myanmar	22 February 2001[83]
141	Monaco	10 April 2001[104]
142	North Macedonia	17 May 2002[105]
—	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	26 December 2005[46]
143	Botswana	4 May 2007[46]
144	Liberia	1 June 2007[83]
145	Guinea	19 June 2007[46]
146	Burkina Faso	28 August 2007[83]
147	Madagascar	29 August 2007[106]
148	Gambia	25 September 2007[83]
149	Togo	28 September 2007[46]
150	Djibouti	12 February 2008[83]
151	Benin	14 February 2008[83]
152	Timor-Leste	23 September 2008[107]
153	Seychelles	12 November 2008[83]
154	Maldives	24 February 2009[83]
155	Montenegro	25 February 2009[108]
156	Comoros	14 May 2009[46]
157	Rwanda	16 June 2009[83]
158	Vanuatu	6 August 2009[83]
159	Marshall Islands	2 December 2009[83]
160	Guinea-Bissau	26 March 2010[46]
161	Sierra Leone	22 September 2010[83]
162	Solomon Islands	4 February 2011[83]
163	Dominica	25 February 2011[109][110]
164	Nauru	14 March 2011[111]
165	Ethiopia	23 March 2011[83]
—	State of Palestine	29 March 2011[83]
166	Tuvalu	9 September 2011[83]
167	Nepal	18 April 2012[83]
168	Niger	6 March 2013[83]
169	Samoa	21 March 2013[83]
170	Federated States of Micronesia	5 September 2013[83]
171	Cape Verde	10 September 2013[83]
172	Cameroon	18 December 2017[83]
173	Mauritius	15 May 2019[83]
174	Tonga	14 March 2024[83]
175	Laos	19 September 2024[83]
176	Burundi	15 May 2026[83]
177	Uganda	26 May 2026[83]
178	Mali	Unknown

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• List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay
• List of diplomatic missions of Uruguay
• Embassy of Uruguay in Washington