The chancellor santiago cafiero ratified on Monday “commitment” of Argentina with international peace and security, while urging “work to de-escalate tension” in a world crossed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing friction between the United States and China.
In statements to Radio10, the head of the Palacio San Martín assessed that “the policies of escalation, where tensions begin to heat up, do not contribute to international security, but rather threaten it” and assured in this regard that “Argentina ratifies its commitment to peace” and in “working to de-escalate international tension”.
Cafiero assured that “for 50 years, Argentina has recognized the principle of China’s territorial integrity, the principle of one China,” when asked about the recent visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the United States House of RepresentativesNancy Pelosi, considered by Beijing as a “provocation”.
China announced last week that it will impose sanctions against Pelosi after the official’s trip to Taiwan, considering that it was a “provocation”, and decided to suspend various cooperation mechanisms with Washington, including on climate issues and defense.
Regarding the episode that opened an escalation between Beijing and Washington, the Argentine foreign minister remarked that “Our function is to continue calling to de-escalate conflicts so that the areas of dialogue can be found”and argued that Pelosi’s arrival in Taiwan “in China was taken as a provocation, as our ambassador (to the Asian giant, Sabino Vaca Narvaja) points out, but the role of our country is to continue calling for de-escalation of conflicts.”
In this context, Cafiero highlighted the work of the ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja, who “does an overwhelming job, which has been key in the task of getting Sinopharm vaccineswho came at a time when Argentina needed them and the work it is carrying out with investment and strategic infrastructure projects”, and expanded: “I say this, but it is also true that it is not the function of our ambassadors to indicate visits or third country missions.
With the latter, the foreign minister referred to statements to Vaca Narvaja in which he affirmed that the visit to Taiwan of the president of the United States House of Representatives “has been a provocation and a problem for the entire international community”and defended the concept of “territorial integrity” both in the case of the Asian giant and in the Argentine claim of sovereignty in the Malvinas Islands.
“We are sure that this visit has been a provocation for China and a problem for the entire international community,” the diplomat had pointed out in statements made yesterday to Télam, expanding on the concepts expressed in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
In another order, Cafiero referred to his recent trip to Bogotá, Colombia, where accompanied President Alberto Fernández to the inauguration ceremony of the new president Gustavo Petro and held various bilateral meetings.
Very positive first bilateral meeting of the president @alferdez with his elected Colombian counterpart, @petrogustavo.
An active participation of Colombia in the path of Latin American integration is a source of hope for Argentina and the region.
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– Santiago Cafiero (@SantiagoCafiero) August 7, 2022
In this regard, the Argentine foreign minister stated that “Colombia can play an important role in Latin American and Caribbean regional integration, which is the challenge we have not only from Argentina with our Latin American perspective, but also from the presidency of CELAC, which has our country”.
Finally, he understood that the arrival of the left-wing leader at the Casa de Nariño (headquarters of the Colombian government) facilitates a “shared agenda in the bilateral relationship between Argentina and Colombia.”
“We understand that an agenda that is deployed with a view similar to the fight against the inequalities that our continent suffers, similar to a policy that wants to be carried out based on the search for peace and the defense of human rights, is clearly a agenda that brings us closer to that of Gustavo Petro” remarked the Argentine foreign minister.
