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Spain–Uruguay relations are foreign relations between Spain and Uruguay. Uruguay was part of the Spanish Empire until 1810.
Contents
History
Spain was the colonial master of many South American regions, including what was known as Banda Oriental. In 1726, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, the Spanish governor of Buenos Aires founded Montevideo, which soon became an important harbor of the Spanish Armada.
After independence, Spain did not recognize Uruguay until the second half of the 19th century.
Bilateral relations intensified during the 20th century. In 1983, King Juan Carlos I paid a very important official visit to Uruguay, which was influential in the end of the civic-military dictatorship. Felipe González attended the inauguration of President Julio María Sanguinetti on 1 March 1985; after that, Felipe, Prince of Asturias has usually attended presidential inaugurations representing Spain. In 1996, another visit by King Juan Carlos took place.
In May 2013, the Uruguayan President José Mujica made an official visit to Spain.
Both countries are full members of the Association of Spanish Language Academies, Latin Union and of the Organization of Ibero-American States.