In the context of President Javier Milei’s participation in the 54th World Economic Forum in Davos, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, as member of the delegation travelling with the Argentine President, participated today in several meetings with representatives of global leading companies and discussed the structural reforms that are being carried out in Argentina, as well as the opportunities offered by this new scenario for investment development and trade growth.
In addition, the Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings with her counterparts from the Netherlands, Minister Hanke Bruins Slot; Lithuania, Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and the Czech Republic, Minister Jan Lipavsky, plus a meeting with the State Secretary for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, Helene Budliger Artieda, and the European Union Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis.
First, Mondino participated in the "Country Strategy dialogue on Argentina" meeting, which was attended by executives of companies and holdings of different sectors and countries, including BBVA, Calwaro Capital, Chevron, Security Scorecard, S&P Global, POSCO, Yunzhanghu, Telefónica, Petronas, TNO, Essar, Bayer, Nax Group, Longi Green Energy Technology, Coinbase, JS Group, Open Society Foundations, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), Volvo Group, Ball, Nestlé, Astranis, Bristol Company, Uber Technologies, BHP Group, Sandbox AQ, Maekyung Media Group, Korea Zinc, Claure Group, VISA, AlixPartners, Mercuria Energy Group, HEAD, Corporación América Internacional, AES, Hydro, Circle Internet Financial, SICPA, Banco Bradesco, Limak Holding, Pan American Energy and FEMSA (Mexico).
The executives of these companies, many of which have a strong and long-standing presence in Argentina, voiced their expectations about the deep reforms introduced by President Milei’s administration and ratified their investment and development plans in Argentina. For her part, Ms. Mondino presented a detailed overview of the opportunities offered by Argentina in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, science and technology, minerals and hydrocarbons, among others, with the aim of creating quality jobs and stable and sustainable growth for our economy.
Furthermore, Minister Mondino met with the Global CEO of MSD-MERCK, Joseph Romanelli and they discussed the possibility for that company, known worldwide for its efficiency and innovation in health matters, to expand its investment and development plans in Argentina.
Also on the sidelines of the Davos Forum, the Argentine Foreign Minister held a working meeting with her counterpart from the Netherlands, Hanke Bruins Slot, where they discussed the most important issues on the common agenda, ratified the importance of the historical bilateral relationship between both nations—based on shared strategic views and democratic values—and affirmed the need to increase and diversify mutual trade and expand the flow of investments.
Foreign Minister Mondino joined President Javier Milei in his bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Cameron. With regard to the Malvinas Question, both parties reaffirmed their positions and committed themselves to working on an agenda based on trust and cooperation.
Mondino later met with the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, with whom she agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas, especially in economic and trade matters. The bilateral relationship between both nations dates back to 1921. After Lithuania regained its independence in 1991, Argentina was the first country in Latin America, and one of the first ten in the world, to recognize the restoration of the Lithuanian State. The presence of a Lithuanian community in Argentina can be traced back to the early 20th century, with an estimated migration flow of over 30 thousand Lithuanians, which mainly took place between the two world wars.
The Argentine Foreign Minister also held a meeting with the EU Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, where she reiterated the central importance to Argentina of concluding the MERCOSUR-EU agreement, which is one of the top priorities of the current administration, as not only does it offer a historic opportunity for the nations of both blocs, but also marks a milestone in global collaboration and the building of strong relations based on mutual respect and cooperation.
Mondino, accompanied by the Secretary for International Economic Relations, Marcelo Cima, emphasized the critical need to work together to overcome pending challenges and conclude the agreement in a manner that is equitable and beneficial to all parties.
The Minister then held a bilateral meeting with her Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky. Both officials stressed that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which offers an excellent platform to give a new boost to cooperation in scientific, cultural, educational, environmental and Antarctic matters, among other fields, and strengthen trade and investment bonds.
The Foreign Minister also met with the State Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Helene Budliger Artieda. During the meeting, they discussed opportunities to promote Swiss investments in Argentina. Switzerland is the 7th top foreign investor in our country, with Argentina ranking 4th among the destinations of foreign direct investment from the Swiss Confederation in Latin America, behind Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Over 70 Swiss companies make direct investments in our territory, mainly in sectors such as grain, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics and food, among others.
They also agreed on the importance of concluding the technical work and the legal review of the negotiations on the agreement between MERCOSUR and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). EFTA countries make up a free trade area comprising over 14 million inhabitants, with three of them (Switzerland, Norway and Iceland) ranking among the world’s top five in terms of purchasing power. The four nations in this bloc are highly developed and competitive economies at the global level.
