President Alberto Fernández said Tuesday that he will participate in the next IX Summit of the Americas to “defend” the rights of the countries of the region and referred to the departure of Matías Kulfas from the Ministry of Productive Development as an “issue overcome”.
The head of state greeted the accredited journalists at Casa Rosada on the occasion of Journalist’s Day and gave a press conference in which he referred to the latest issues on his government’s agenda.
“We are going to defend the unity of Latin America. Unity is not declaimed, it is exercised; and the best way to exercise it is not to segregate anyone,” he stressed about the position that he will take to Los Angeles as ruler of Argentina and pro-tempore president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Regarding the refusal of the United States to extend invitations to Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, he said that Argentina “regrets” the absence of those countries that were not invited and announced that he, as head of the regional bloc, will try to “carry the voice” of those nations.
Due to the exclusions decided by the USA, several presidents of Latin America -among them the Mexican Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Bolivian Luis Arce – announced that they will not attend the conclave.
According to timely official sources from the Presidency, Fernández will attend the Summit in his role as head of state but, in addition, he will convey the position of the Celacafter having agreed with the main political referents of the region.
The departure from Kulfas
On the other hand, the President was also consulted about the resignation of Matías Kulfas from the Ministry of Productive Development and, although he said that it is an “issue overcome”, he clarified that the decision to ask him to leave was for not sharing what the former official did, when referring to the dissemination of an ‘off the record’ about the Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline tender.
“I didn’t like what Matías (Kulfas) did, that’s why I made the decision I made”he reaffirmed.
On the complaints filed in the Justice for the alleged direction of the tender in favor of Techint, Fernández stated that he is not a “judge” to refer to the issue.
On Tuesday morning, the federal judge Daniel Rafecas summoned Kulfas for next Friday from the judicial complaints against the public company Energía Argentina (IEASA) and other areas of the State for the bidding document for the gas pipeline.
As for the choice of Daniel Scioli to replace Kulfas, the president defined the current ambassador to Brazil and future Minister of Productive Development as “a great friend”.
“We were able to replace Matías Kulfas with Daniel Scioli. Daniel is a great friend and I spoke a lot with Sergio Massa, who is someone whose opinion I particularly ponder, and we were seeing how to put the moment that was taking place on track,” he explained.
In addition, the President said that he is “happy” with the return of Agustín Rossi to the Government and described the former head of the Front for Victory in Deputies bloc and former Minister of Defense as an “incalculable” value for his Cabinet.
remarks
Fernandez too referred to the expressions of the owner of the La Anónima supermarket chain, Federico Braunwho boasted that he “highlights prices” every day, when answering questions from a journalist in front of the auditorium of the Argentine Business Association (AEA).
“Me I ask Argentine businessmen to understand the dimension of the global economic problem, which is affected by a war that is putting the world’s food security in crisis. What we have to do is work responsibly. It does not seem responsible to me that a businessman of this magnitude is asked and his answer is to ‘highlight’ prices“, object.
In that sense, the President warned that “many times” he spoke “to Argentines about self-constructed inflation.”
Heading to the Summit
Fernández will leave this Tuesday night for the US city of Los Angelesto participate in the IX Summit of the Americas, where he will speak under the slogan “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future”, where he will deliver his message as pro-tempore president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The head of state and his entourage will leave at 11 p.m. from the Ezeiza International Airport to attend the Leaders’ Summit, headed by US President Joe Biden, which will take place between Thursday and Friday of this week.
The president will travel accompanied by the first lady, Fabiola Yanez; the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Serge Massa; The chancellor, santiago cafiero; the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzetti and the spokesperson for the Presidency, Gabriela Ceruti.
The Secretary General of the Presidency, Julio Vitobello; of Strategic Affairs, Gustavo Beliz; the Legal and Technical secretaries, Vilma Ibarra; and Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Innovation, Cecilia Nicolini. They will also accompany the head of the Cabinet of Advisors, Juan Manuel Olmos; and the national deputy Eduardo Valdés.
According to official sources, Fernández will deliver his speech on Friday, while on Wednesday Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero will participate in the Summit of Foreign Ministers headed by the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinkenas host.
For her part, the first lady Fabiola Yañez will take part in the social activities organized within the framework of the Summit of the Americas, invited by the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden: “In difficult times for the world, I am glad that these valuable spaces for regional exchange exist,” the First Lady published on her Instagram social network account.
The international meeting also contemplates the holding of the ninth Forum of Civil Society -which took place on Monday-, the Fourth Summit of “CEO” of the Americas -which takes place this Tuesday- and the sixth Youth Forum of the Americas, which will start on Wednesday.
