During the visit the Director-General met with Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa as well as with Enrique Iglesias and Sergio Abreu, former Uruguayan Foreign Ministers who chaired respectively the launch and conclusion of the Uruguay Round. 

Speaking at the Foreign Ministry, the Director-General said:

"Uruguay is an example of the role trade can play in leveraging opportunities and competitiveness. It has been a key player in helping to build and strengthen the multilateral trading system throughout the years. The country's leadership as the host of the Ministerial Meeting that launched the Uruguay Round in 1986, and the work of some notable Uruguayans, like Julio Lacarte, Enrique Iglesias, Sergio Abreu and others, are some clear examples of Uruguay's commitment to build a strong trading system.

"We all need global trade to work. Ongoing discussions to make the WTO more responsive, to advance our negotiating work and to ease trade tensions can make a huge contribution to that end. Ultimately this is how we will give everyone a chance to seize the opportunities that the modern economy has to offer."

The Director-General's full speech can be found here.