"At this meeting in Nagoya, Argentina leaves the troika and I personally end my role as Minister of Foreign Affairs heading these meetings. I thank you all for your support for Argentina during the last few years. The assessment of our foreign policy clearly shows a great commitment to the international community during President Macri's government" stated Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie in the city of Nagoya, Japan, where the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held.
"We have sought to create consensus and play a constructive role. In a complex global context, we undertook responsibilities and tried to make a contribution towards the strengthening of global governance, because we firmly believe that the best way to achieve a prosperous global future is through more cooperation and multilateralism," he stated.
During the first plenary meeting, which dealt with the promotion of trade and global governance, Faurie stated that "the G20 must contribute towards reducing uncertainty and risks in global economy, facilitating trade and investment with binding and enforceable agreements that offer certainty and stability to markets, with transparency and a rules-based system that does not discriminate against any country, in the context of dynamic changes in trade as a result of new technologies."
"The G20 plays a crucial role in reaffirming the importance of the multilateral trade system and deactivating trade friction. We must enhance international cooperation and reduce uncertainty. We need to find joint solutions and transform them into concrete action to acknowledge trade and investment as crucial drivers of productivity, innovation and job creation," he stated.
Faurie underscored the fact that, to achieve those goals, it is necessary to make progress in reforming the WTO: "A key priority in terms of international economic cooperation is to continue strengthening the rules-based multilateral trade system, and that can only be achieved through a strong, modernized and improved WTO." In addition, he wondered which practical steps could be taken to improve the functions of other multilateral forums, such as the United Nations, in order to better reflect the different realities of today's world.
As regards e-commerce, Faurie stated that "G20 members, either collectively or individually, must address the new challenges of digitalization and take advantage of it, while working to create opportunities for digital trade. We need to adapt current multilateral rules to the trends of the 21st century and support e-commerce and its potential. That is why Argentina supports the launch of the Osaka Track, which will promote debate in the WTO as regards the international regulation of electronic commerce."
Finally, the Foreign Minister highlighted the importance of infrastructure for development, a key issue during Argentina's presidency of the G20, and underscored the need to promote investment in that regard, given that it fosters social inclusion, contributes to sustainable development, transfers technology and capabilities, and improves comparative advantages between countries.
Outside the agenda of the G20 Plenary meetings, Foreign Minister Faurie will hold various meetings with his counterparts from G20 and guest countries to address different issues related to bilateral relations and thank them for the work carried out during these last years with each of them.
