Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie delivered a presentation today at the Eva Perón Room of the Argentine Congress before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, and provided detailed insight into the main issues and guidelines related to Argentine foreign policy since President Mauricio Macri took office.
Joined by Julio Cobos, the head of the Committee, the Argentine Foreign Minister provided an outline of administration and answered all the questions posed by the congressmen present during the two-hour meeting.
Faurie highlighted the importance to the Foreign Ministry of the various meetings with congressmen "with a view to pursuing foreign policy with a comprehensive perspective." He stated that "since 2015, Argentina has been developing a policy of smart integration with the world, which has allowed it to conquer 180 markets (different kinds of products) in 45 countries, with a positive impact on regional economies." He reaffirmed Argentina's work towards regional integration and highlighted its leading role in the international relaunch of MERCOSUR, which "needs to have the capacity to adapt to changes in the international economy."
The Foreign Minister highlighted "the economic complementarity agreement with Chile because it is comprehensive and it is one of the most modern ones signed by Argentina," among other bilateral agreements. Faurie also underscored the negotiations under way with Peru and Colombia with a view to reaching trade agreements, and the great progress made on economic issues with Asian and Southeast Asian regions, and with countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Arab Emirates and Qatar. He further stated that China is a strategic partner and an important investor.
As regards the Malvinas Question, Faurie clearly stated that "the Foreign Ministry is aware of the historical dimension of the claim over Malvinas and is constantly working for Argentina's sovereignty and for the preservation of natural resources in the South Atlantic. I have been part of the Argentine Foreign Service for more than 40 years, and I can confirm that we, as diplomatic officials, are prepared to defend Argentina's interests in any situation."
The Foreign Minister stated that, since 2015, "Argentina has worked to establish new dialogue channels with the United Kingdom and renew our ties of trust, which has led to historical achievements, such as the identification of the Argentine soldiers buried at Darwin Cemetery. We have also reached agreements on Antarctic issues, armed forces equipment, and cooperation with third countries, and we have set a comprehensive roadmap on which the two countries wish to work together, without in any way compromising our sovereignty claim."
