A joint ministerial statement was signed after the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting held in Mar del Plata.
"We welcome the ministers’ efforts to agree on a common denominator, which has allowed us to issue the ministerial statement. This shows that, through dialogue and the search for common ground, we can build a new framework, one that adapts to the way the world has changed with respect to work, production and trade," Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie stated after the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting held in Mar del Plata.
"Working to find common ground has resulted in this outcome, which we consider highly positive and an achievement of the Argentine G20 Presidency," the Foreign Minister stated during the press conference held together with the Minister of Production and Labour, Dante Sica, after the meeting where over 35 heads of delegation discussed the present and future of trade and investment.
The Foreign Minister noted that "Argentina's presidency proposed that we look for shared solutions to problems in global trade." Faurie said that "the goal of leaving no one behind is always present" and added that "we have discussed value chains and the participation of member countries" as well as "the challenges for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in this new trade context."
As regards the World Trade Organization, Faurie stated that "it is clear that we all agree on the great importance and urgency of finding proposals for the WTO to be more responsive to current challenges for trade," and explained that "during the meeting, all countries -especially the key players in international trade- shared their views on the reform: what can and should be changed, and what needs to be preserved." “Sitting at the table of the G20, an essential international forum whose members account for 80% of global GDP, Argentina was able to do what it does well: working as a mediator and finding common ground,” concluded Faurie.
Minister Sica, in turn, highlighted the importance of the statement since "this is the second time in the last five years that G20 ministers issued a statement on this matter, within a context of current tensions at the international trade level."
During the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting held in Mar del Plata, Faurie held meetings with representatives of the United States, India, Spain, the United Kingdom and Turkey as part of his busy schedule.
Early in the morning, the Argentine Foreign Minister met with the Deputy USTR and Permanent Representative in Geneva of the United States, Dennis Shea, and discussed the possibility of expanding bilateral trade between both countries. Moreover, Shea reiterated the United States' support for Argentina's economic reforms, as well as its possible accession to the OECD.
Faurie's schedule in Mar del Plata continued with meetings with the Indian Minister of Commerce and Investment, Suresh Prabhu, and the Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, María Maroto Illera, with whom he discussed the global challenges posed by the industrial revolution and its effects on employment and industry.
The Argentine Foreign Minister also met with the British Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, the Japanese Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Daisaku Hiraki, and the Turkish Minister of Trade, Ruhsar Pekcan.
During the day of the event, he met with officials from China, Saudi Arabia and Australia, in addition to EU and WTO officials.
Press Release No. 369/18
