At the conclusion of the 65th Summit of Presidents, held on 6 December 2024 in Montevideo, the Republic of Argentina assumed the Pro Tempore Presidency (PTP) of MERCOSUR, a transfer carried out by the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. The PTP is exercised by the Member States on a semiannual alphabetical rotation, in accordance with the founding treaties of the bloc.

In this way, the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, handed over the Presidency with the customary passing of the gavel to the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, in the presence of the presidents of the Member States and senior officials from the Associate States.

“I want to take this opportunity (…) to set out the scope of exploration that this institution will pursue during our Presidency,” President Milei said upon assuming Argentina’s Pro Tempore Presidency (PTPA) of MERCOSUR. “A regional common market is an instrument in the service of the economic development of its member countries. Countries form it freely with the objective of delivering particular returns to each of them. It is not an unalterable imposition; it is an instrument freely chosen. This definition must be the starting point for any analysis,” she said.

The other presidents of the MERCOSUR Member States were present: Luis Alberto Arce Catacora, for the Plurinational State of Bolivia; Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for the Federative Republic of Brazil; and Santiago Peña Palacios, for the Republic of Paraguay. The Summit took place in the emblematic Mercosur Building, located in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, and included the participation of senior officials from the Associate States.

On this occasion, the heads of state reaffirmed MERCOSUR’s commitment to strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and the protection and guarantee of human rights, and they emphasized the importance of the bloc’s broad and diversified agenda for regional integration that benefits all citizens.

By Mercosur Official.