Canada and Uruguay established diplomatic relations in 1951. Both countries are members of the Cairns Group, the Organization of American States and the United Nations.
Canada and Uruguay established diplomatic relations in January 1951.[1] In 1953, Canada's first appointed ambassador to Uruguay was based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In April 2001, Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle paid a visit to Canada to attend the 3rd Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City.[2]
In November 2017, Uruguay co-hosted with Canada the United Nations Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Uruguay has endorsed the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers as well as Canada's Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.[3] In February 2020, Canadian Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Pablo Rodríguez, paid a visit to Uruguay to attend the inauguration for President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou.
Both nations have signed a few agreements such as a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (1999); Social Security Agreement (2002); Audiovisual Co-Production Agreement (2005); Air Transport Agreement (2012) and a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (2014).
In 2022, there were approximately 5,500 Canadians who claimed to be of Uruguayan descent.
In 2022, trade between Canada and Uruguay totaled US$256.2 million. Canada's main exports to Uruguay include: fertilizer, machinery, and mechanical appliances. Uruguay's main exports to Canada include: meat, wood, as well as nuts and fruit. In March 2018, Mercosur trade bloc ministers (which includes Uruguay) agreed to launch formal negotiations toward a comprehensive Canada-Mercosur free trade agreement (FTA). Canadian multinational companies such as BlackBerry, Scotiabank and Thomson Reuters operate in Uruguay.