Former Uruguayan president Julio Sanguinetti receives the Salvadoran vice president and praises the approval of Bukele's government

Former President of Uruguay Julio María Sanguinetti, in a file photo. EFE/ Alex Gutiérrez Páez Julio María Sanguinetti, former Uruguayan president, received the Vice President of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa, this Thursday in Montevideo, in a meeting in which he praised the approval rating maintained by Nayib Bukele's government and expressed interest in the political, economic, and social evolution of the Central American country. The meeting was also attended by the secretary general of the Colorado Party, Andrés Ojeda, who focused on the effects that, in his view, the improvement in security has had on other areas of Salvadoran public life, such as education, health, and economic growth. After the meeting, Sanguinetti said he received Ulloa with "great joy and interest." The former head of state recalled that, during his extensive political career, he followed different moments of the Salvadoran process and became closely familiar with "El Salvador's long journey" in matters of regional relevance. The meeting took place during Ulloa's visit to Uruguay, which included contacts with government authorities and political figures of the country. Sanguinetti, twice president of Uruguay and one of the historical figures of the Colorado Party, spoke favorably of the approval rating retained by the Salvadoran government, following a conversation with Ulloa, who has been part of Bukele's government since the beginning of his administration. Former Uruguayan President Julio María Sanguinetti met with the Salvadoran vice president during his visit to the country, accompanied by the secretary general of the Colorado Party, Andrés Ojeda, in Montevideo this Thursday. Video courtesy. The former president emphasized his knowledge of the country's recent history. El Salvador went through decades of political conflict, criminal violence, and institutional difficulties that shaped the regional debate on security and governability. Ojeda argued that analysis of El Salvador usually focuses almost exclusively on strategies against crime. For the Uruguayan politician, that view leaves in the background other indicators and public policies that, he claimed, emerged from the improvement in security conditions. "Sometimes I think that, mistakenly, [the experience] is reduced to the security issue, but security has enabled other advances," he said after participating in the meeting. The secretary general of the Colorado Party noted that the reduction in violence allowed the country to advance in economic, educational, technological, and health matters. He also cited the publication of data on the evolution of the gross domestic product and mentioned initiatives related to the use of technology in the education system and in health care. The former Uruguayan president received Félix Ulloa in Montevideo and expressed interest in the evolution of the Central American country, while Andrés Ojeda highlighted its economic, educational, and health advances (Video screenshot) "Today some newspapers around the world publish on their front pages the GDP growth, the development in terms of education, the policies related to technology in education and health. There is much to learn from the Salvadoran experience," he said. Ojeda's statements placed the meeting within a broader debate about the model implemented by Bukele's government. The Salvadoran government gained international notoriety through its security policy, particularly the state of exception that led to mass detentions as part of the fight against gangs. Before meeting with Sanguinetti and Ojeda, Ulloa held meetings with the Uruguayan president, Yamandú Orsi, and with Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin. After those conversations, the Salvadoran vice president highlighted the importance of the bilateral relationship and expressed his country's willingness to support Uruguay's initiatives in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, known as CELAC. "With Uruguay holding the presidency, we want to strengthen, support, and accompany its initiatives," he told the press. Lubetkin referred to the cooperation between the two countries and valued El Salvador's support for Uruguay in regional matters. The foreign minister spoke of "enormous backing" from the Central American country to face various challenges in multilateral forums.