Uruguayan President Jose Mujica and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez said Wednesday they agreed to strengthen initiatives to promote South American integration.

Chavez said it was necessary to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries through new agreements like those signed by the two sides on Wednesday, saying it was a way to deepen regional integration.

The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) must be built on a solid base, Chavez said. He also proposed to map out a plan to build a new "system of relations."

The organization (Unasur) needs to be "filled with content, to give it shape...as a mechanism of integration," he added.

Meanwhile, Mujica urged the Paraguayan Congress to ratify the entry of Venezuela to the Common Market of the South (Mercosur).

Mujica said it is necessary that Venezuela, as an important ally of Uruguay, joins Mercosur in order to contribute to the partnership for the common good of all the countries.

Chavez's trip to Uruguay is part of a regional tour which has already taken the Venezuelan president to Argentina and will also take him to Bolivia and Colombia.

Source: Xinhua
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