Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin visited Uruguay XXI and highlighted its strategic role in the country’s international integration

Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin visited Uruguay XXI’s offices and met with the institute’s management and the entire management team. In his speech, he praised the promotion agency’s track record and reaffirmed its strategic role.
“Uruguay XXI is irreplaceable. Within the strategy for the future, they are necessary for their technical capacity, knowledge, and connections,” he said.

Lubetkin toured all the offices and met the team that promotes investment, exports, the country brand, and one-stop shops for foreign trade and investment. He emphasized the institution’s strategic nature within national foreign policy.

In addition, the foreign minister timed his first visit to coincide with a meeting with the delegation that will participate in the upcoming mission to Expo Osaka 2025.

In front of representatives from the private and public sectors, together with the Uruguay XXI team and Uruguay’s commissioner at the world’s fair, Benjamín Liberoff, they discussed the strategy they will develop for Uruguay’s National Day, which will be celebrated on June 17, as well as for the rest of the country’s presence in Japan until October of this year.

The delegation will be made up of 35 public and private representatives. For Foreign Minister Lubetkin, the preparation of this event reflects a new paradigm. “I am starting to use another expression: the Osaka model. It is a combination of the public and private sectors. It is a state policy, and we are all implementing it together,” he explained.

The foreign minister also highlighted the international recognition achieved. “Yesterday, I received the report from the last OECD meeting in Paris, and Japan’s foreign minister came to congratulate us on the level and quality of our presence,” he said, thanking the private sector for its commitment.

The foreign minister also highlighted the impact achieved at the World’s Fair. “We are already close to reaching one million visitors. We are talking about a vast number. The investment was worth it, but the model was worth it,” he said.

For his part, Benjamín Liberoff appreciated the support received from Japan. “The Japan External Trade Organization, JETRO, not only responded to our requests for support but also offered to co-organize the events we will be held there in June. That tells us that we have a serious, committed partner with whom we are building a solid agenda,” he said.

The deputy executive director of Uruguay XXI, Martín Mercado, emphasized the quality of the agenda and institutional support. “Japan is the most geographically distant destination for Uruguay. That is why this mission needs to achieve concrete results. We are on the right track; the news from Japan daily is positive,” he said.

Finally, Lubetkin expressed his conviction about the course we have taken. “We are halfway there, and we can say this is heading toward success, not because of a stroke of luck, but because there is a model, public and private investment, and a commitment from the country. After October, we must evaluate it together and plan the next chapter,” he concluded.