Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie, joined by the executive secretary of the Antarctic Treaty, Albert Lluberas, and the Finnish Ambassador to Argentina, Kirsi Vanamo-Santacruz, welcomed the ambassadors accredited to Buenos Aires today at the Argentine Foreign Ministry on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty.
"We are proud of the work that Argentina carries out on Antarctic issues and of Buenos Aires being the seat of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat," Faurie stated this afternoon at the Manuel Belgrano Auditorium of the Argentine Foreign Ministry. "And we are very happy to be celebrating today, in Argentina, the 60th anniversary of the Treaty," he added.
The Foreign Ministry underscored the fact that "the signing of the Antarctic Treaty was possible thanks to the joint will to leave this strategic territory out of the arms race" and that "it provided for the confidence to make reciprocal inspections and share scientific information, which is of utmost importance."
In December 1959, in the city of Washington, twelve countries, including Argentina, drafted one of the most successful international instruments of multilateral diplomacy of the 20th century. Despite being short and precise, it was an avant-garde treaty that proved to be crucial in recent history, as it addressed sensitive issues related to territorial claims and set forth a legal system that has guided all human activity in the world's southernmost continent, within a context of peace and international cooperation. It was the first regional treaty on disarmament and the ban of nuclear tests, a very important issue for Argentina.
Faurie stated that "the content of the Antarctic Treaty reflects the ideal world we wish for foreign affairs" and underscored the fact that "for more than 60 years, it has managed to uphold key values that should govern life between peoples."
60 years after the signing of the treaty, Argentina continues affirming its commitment to the principles and goals of the Antarctic Treaty and its System through the development of high-quality science with a view to preserving the Antarctic environment, its strong support for the proper functioning of the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, located in Buenos Aires since September 2004, and the active participation of Argentine delegations in Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings, four of which have been held in Buenos Aires (1962, 1981, 2011 and 2018).