United States Welcomes Uruguay’s Signing of the Artemis Accords   

On February 15, 2024, Uruguay became the 36^th signatory to the Artemis Accords, underscoring its commitment to the peaceful, safe, and transparent exploration and use of outer space.  Uruguayan Foreign Minister Omar Paganini signed for Uruguay during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington in the presence of Uruguayan Ambassador to the United States Andrés Durán, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay Heide Fulton, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Kevin Sullivan.

The United States welcomes Uruguay as an esteemed partner in advancing our shared goals for peace, prosperity, and scientific discovery in space.  Today, our countries held our second Annual Bilateral Inter-Ministerial Dialogue where we strengthened our partnership on innovation, democracy, and educational exchanges.  Our growing high-tech commercial ties and commitment to democracy are the foundation of our strong relationship. Together, we will continue to uphold the principles of the Artemis Accords and work towards a future of cooperation and exploration beyond Earth’s bounds.

The Artemis Accords were established in 2020 by the United States and seven other countries.  They set out a practical set of principles to guide space exploration.  Uruguay joins 35 other nations – Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States – in affirming the Accords’ principles for sustainable civil space activity.  The Department of State and NASA lead the United States’ outreach and implementation of the Accords.

For more information, please visit https://www.state.gov/artemis-accords/.  For media inquiries, please contact OES-Press@state.gov.