The Ambassador of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay in Spain, Ana Teresa Ayala Barrios, accompanied by the Consul General of Uruguay in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria and Basque Country, Ramiro Rodriguez, have made an institutional visit to the campus of the European University of the Atlantic (UNEATLANTICO), where they were received by the rector, Ruben Calderon and the director of Institutional Relations of the university, Laura Saiz.
The visit to the university revolved around a working meeting organized by the Embassy of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, UNEATLANTICO and the Society for the Regional Development of Cantabria (SODERCAN), in which businessmen from Cantabria were invited to learn about possible ways of collateral collaboration with the Uruguayan market.
Rubén Calderón highlighted the relevance of the international relations of the University, promoted by the Ibero-American University Foundation (FUNIBER) with presence in 24 Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. He also stressed the importance of generating bidirectional links between companies in Cantabria and Uruguay to promote productive activity and offer opportunities to students. “We maintain 31% of undergraduate students coming from those countries. We have initiated a productive cycle by inviting the embassies of the countries of origin of our students to generate bidirectional relations with SODERCAN and local companies, thus promoting a business flow that benefits both sides of the Atlantic,” explained Calderón. UNEATLANTICO seeks to contribute to productive activity and employment, facilitating business collaboration between the countries.
Raquel Manzanares, SODERCAN’s Director of New Markets, welcomed the ambassador and her delegation. Manzanares highlighted the importance of collaboration between Cantabria and Uruguay, pointing out that both regions, although small, can achieve more together. Likewise, he mentioned the significant presence of FUNIBER in Ibero-America and the intention to take advantage of this network to explore the Uruguayan market. He also announced a trade mission to Colombia and Uruguay in November, organized together with the Chamber of Commerce and UNEATLANTICO, with the objective of identifying investment and economic transit opportunities in Uruguay.
In her turn, Ambassador Ana Teresa Ayala Barrios thanked for the invitation and highlighted the advantages of Uruguay as an investment destination, due to its political, economic and social stability, as well as its legal security. She stressed that investment, both domestic and foreign, is considered of national interest in Uruguay, with attractive incentives for various industrial, commercial and service activities. Ayala Barrios also highlighted Uruguay’s strategic location in Mercosur, offering access to a market of 270 million inhabitants and positioning itself as an ideal regional hub for the distribution of goods.
Finally, Consul Ramiro Rodríguez complemented the ambassador’s speech, highlighting the significant Spanish investment in Uruguay, which has been crucial for the development of strategic sectors. In addition, he pointed out the importance of Spanish investment in terms of quality and its impact on human resources and economic development in Uruguay.