MONTEVIDEO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay and Peru have discussed the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to extend bilateral exchanges, reports here said on Monday.

    "The truth is that there is a good political will," El Observador daily quoted Commercial Attache from the Peruvian embassy to Uruguay Ricardo Romero as saying.

    Meanwhile, foreign affairs chief in the Peruvian embassy Jorge Rosado said that the Peru-Uruguay ties currently "are growing" not only at the economic level.

    He said the signature of the FTA was "in a preliminary stage of dialogue" because "it takes time" and also entailed a precise evaluation of both economies.

    Uruguayan ambassador to Lima Jose Arteaga formally proposed to Peruvian Foreign Trade Minister Martin Perez on signing an FTA in 2008.

    If the proposal is approved, negotiations on the agreement will start in 2010.