President Alberto Fernandez expressed this Friday, when participating virtually in the XIV Summit of Heads of State of the BricsArgentina’s aspiration to be “full members” of the group made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, before whose leaders it stated that “neither wheat nor food can become a weapon of war” and called to “urgent peace”.
“We aspire to be full members of this group of nations that already represents 42% of the world’s population and 24% of the global gross product,” said the Argentine president, speaking virtually from the Olivos Residence.
“We are safe and responsible suppliers of food, recognized in the field of biotechnology and applied logistics technology. This means that we are not only capable of producing and exporting food, we also know how to provide services and train specialists so that other countries can increase their efficiency productive and thus improve the quality of life of its inhabitants,” said the president in his speech before the leaders of the bloc.
In that line, Fernández detailed them: “We have great energy resources. We have the second world reserve of shale gas and the fourth of shale oil. Argentine and foreign companies not only exploit fossil fuels in an unconventional way. They also venture into the exploitation of lithium, green hydrogen and other renewable energies.”
Argentina participated in the meeting at the request of the personal invitation made to Fernández by Xi Jinping himself this year, within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations with China and while the Argentine president holds the pro-tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
By participating in this summit, Argentina takes a step of strategic relevance with the horizon set to join the forum: The Brics are a group with a strong geopolitical and economic weight that unites the two largest powers after the United States (China and Russia) with emerging countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Speaking before his leaders this morning, Fernández referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “I want to raise my voice so that the whole world understands that although the war is waged in Europe, its tragic consequences have repercussions in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Africa and throughout the southern hemisphere. We are the periphery that suffers.”
“As Pope Francis has pointed out, neither wheat nor food can become a weapon of warnor can the human person become currency. Peace is not only necessary. Peace is urgent because it is urgent to make a more egalitarian world,” said the Argentine head of state.
