Argentina and the United States are heading to take a new step in strengthening the bilateral relationship, with the first meeting between Presidents Alberto Fernández and Joe Biden at the end of July in Washington, considered by the national government as a sign of ” level of maturity and trust” reached between both administrations.
Deepening the relationship in a broad agenda of strategic cooperation issues, among others: climate change, financial cooperation, renewable energies, technological innovation, human rights and agri-food production, will be the central axes of the meeting between the two leaders, which will possibly take place on next July 25.
“It will allow us to talk and discuss what are the best regional integration mechanisms, which is part of the agenda that President Fernández has decided to discuss with his North American counterpart”santiago cafiero
This was officially announced last Wednesday by the Casa Rosada, shortly after the telephone dialogue that both presidents maintained that same afternoon and for 25 minutes, in which Biden invited his Argentine counterpart to Washington and they discussed the problems of food insecurity, the energy transition, the new regional value chains and technological change with social inclusion.
The invitation from the head of the White House to Fernández comes on an international stage hit by the increasingly acute consequences of the war in Ukraine and with the US having certain difficulties in maintaining its hegemony in the American continent, threatened not only by the growing presence of China in the region, but also and fundamentally, due to the demand for a greater balance in its relationship with the power of the North, put forward by some Latin American countries.
for the chancellor santiago cafierothe first bilateral meeting between Alberto Fernández and his American counterpart “involves the possibility of developing a positive agenda between both countries.”
In statements to Télam, the head of the San Martín Palace placed as part of that agenda the possibility of articulating “development mechanisms that leverage economic growth and continue to promote investment by North American companies in Argentina, linked to food production, mining, lithium, energy, since indeed our country has a lot to develop there”.
“This bilateral meeting will also allow us to talk and discuss what are the best mechanisms for regional integrationwhich is part of the agenda that President Fernández has decided to discuss with his North American counterpart,” in his capacity as president pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Cafiero pointed out.
Biden’s invitation -concreted hours after Fernández confirmed his attendance at the Summit of the Americas that will have the United States as host country- “is not casual or circumstantial, it is part of a long process of work within the framework of the bilateral relationship in which we find more and more converging interests and values”, he evaluated, for his part, Jorge ArguelloArgentine ambassador in Washington in a contact with Télam.
a new stage
Biden’s arrival at the White House on January 20, 2021 involved a new stage in the bilateral relationship, which in the four years of the Mauricio Macri government was marked by an automatic alignment with the US, which influenced the strong support that the Donald Trump administration gave to the management of Cambiemos so that the IMF granted the most important loan that this organization gave to any country in its history.
The good harmony that Fernández and Biden maintain from the beginning was reflected in a positive agenda shared between both administrations and the different invitations that the US president extended to Fernández to speak at the Summit of Leaders on Climate Change, in the Forum of the Leading Economies on Energy and Climate and at the Summit for Democracy.
“It is really good news for both countries, which implies a registration by the first world power of the role of Argentina and President Fernández in the region”Jorge Arguello
This first bilateral meeting “It is a positive step. For President Fernández it implies a new recognition of the role he plays on the international scene”Argüello stressed to this agency from Washington.
In that sense, he recalled that Fernández is the only Latin American president who was invited by German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz to participate in the G7 Summit to be held in Germany at the end of June.
Fernández and Biden had briefly spoken face to face on October 30, within the framework of the protocol greetings at the G20 Leaders Summit in Rome.
Argüello analyzed that the highest political level meeting scheduled for the end of next month in Washington “It is really good news for both countries, which implies a registration by the first world power of the role of Argentina and President Fernández in the region” and expressed his “satisfaction” for a meeting that he judged “logical and natural” based on the “level of maturity and trust that the bilateral relationship acquired.”
“Regarding the global scenario, for example, Argentina hopes to make a contribution in the fields of human rights and climate change, among others. There are two urgent problems in which our country hopes to contribute its point of view and develop its potential: they are the field of energy and food, which entered a very sensitive situation in recent months. Both presidents are very concerned about the medium and long term in terms of food security,” Argüello said.
In fact, the threat of “a hurricane of famines”, recently warned by the United Nations, essentially in African countries, which imported more than half of their wheat from Russia or Ukraine, was one of the topics that Fernández and Biden touched on. in the telephone conversation they held last Wednesday.
The Argentine head of state is also concerned about the impact that the sharp rise in the international price of raw materials, especially energy, is beginning to have on the global economy and in Latin America, something he made known during his express tour in May past made by Spain, Germany and France
“Contributing to alleviating food insecurity is a priority for both presidents,” said Argüello and remarked: “Argentina can make a significant contribution, both for its ability to produce food and for the technology that can contribute to greater land productivity in other countries”.
The Argentine head of state is also concerned about the impact that the sharp rise in the international price of raw materials, especially energy, is beginning to have on the global economy and in Latin America, something he made known during his express tour in May past performed by Spain, Germany and France.
“Our President will bring to both the Summit of the Americas and the meeting with Biden a representative voice of the region in all aspects of common interest, including infrastructure development, migration and the strengthening of institutions. Argentina is an example of democratic stability and capacity for dialogue and articulation with all regional actors“, said Argüello, for his part.
“Strictly bilaterally,” the ambassador told this agency, “there is a lot of room to grow in terms of trade, investment in strategic sectors such as mining and energy, among others. Nuclear and space cooperation, of great interest to both countries, could also be part of the conversation” between the leaders.
Despite the fact that the agenda of issues that Fernández and Biden will discuss “is still under development,” the ambassador maintained that “it would be expected, however, that both presidents analyze the challenging international scenario.”
