"We had a discussion of several matters relating to our bilateral relations in the political and economic field, to the regional situation and to our shared views," Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie stated at the press conference held after today's meeting at the Palacio San Martín with his U.S. counterpart, Rex Tillerson, who is on a tour of the region.
Faurie underscored that they talked "about multilateral mechanisms that both countries are a part of and how we view the evolution of these organizations. At the same time, we have shared our concerns on issues such as peacekeeping and the safeguarding of democracy in our region, as well as the actions of drug trafficking groups and their links with terrorism issues, and we’ve also discussed possible joint actions."
The Argentine Foreign Minister remarked that they also talked about "the G20's work under the Argentine presidency" and affirmed that "all the views the United States can share with us are of great importance." Furthermore, Faurie thanked Tillerson for the support of the United States for Argentina to enter the OECD.
The Foreign Minister also recognized "the technical assistance and the technological equipment made available by the United States in the search for the ARA San Juan. The whole Argentine people are thankful for the help of the United States and the people of the U.S.," he stated.
After the traditional floral offering to General San Martín and tête-à-tête between Foreign Minister Faurie and the U.S. Secretary of State, Faurie offered a luncheon for Tillerson and his delegation, which was also attended by the Argentine Ministers of Economy, Defense, Production, Agro-Industry, Security and Energy. "With each of them we have issues to deal with in the context of our bilateral relations, and we have shared the expectations of Argentina in each of those areas, so that Secretary Tillerson can share this information with the U.S. Cabinet," Faurie added.
In connection with the situation in Venezuela, Faurie underscored: "Argentina’s position since the inauguration of President Macri’s administration with regard to Venezuela has been absolutely clear. We do not recognize the political process and authoritarian deviation of Venezuela, and we do not recognize the Constituent Assembly."
"We are against the restrictions on all sorts of freedoms in Venezuela, especially political freedoms, and the ban on political leaders that are not allowed to take part in the political process underway. With regard to possible sanctions, we always believe that sanctions should not affect the situation of the Venezuelan people."
"Argentina's commitment to democracy and the full force of democratic institutions and mechanisms is absolute. We closely follow the situation in Venezuela, which has now drifted towards a huge sanitary and humanitarian emergency," Faurie concluded.
The Foreign Minister further stated that they addressed "global energy security and the contributions that Argentina and Latin America can make in furtherance of that goal."
In connection with biodiesel, Faurie pointed out "Argentina's interest" in settling the matter. "We have ongoing dialogue which gives an opportunity to seek bilateral solutions which we have been working on over the course of the last two or three months," Faurie underscored and stated that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce recently "restated the interest in continuing to look for solutions to this issue."
For his part, Tillerson - who was in Bariloche yesterday, which he considered to be "one of the most beautiful places on Earth" - affirmed that "the U.S.-Argentina relationship is growing stronger every day. Argentina has an extremely important role to play in the international scenario," he stated and added that "the United States welcomes Argentina’s return to global leadership and wishes them success for this year’s G20, in which we very much look forward to participating."
"Under the leadership of President Macri, Argentina has re-emerged as a strong advocate for democracy and the rule of law. We welcome Argentina’s leadership to promote democracy, in particular, in Venezuela," Tillerson stated.
Furthermore, the Secretary of State extended his respects to the relatives of the ARA San Juan crew and to the relatives of the five Argentines who lost their lives in the terror attack in New York City last October.
Press release No. 033/18
Press Office: 4819-7375 / 8296 / 7388
@CancilleriaARG
