"I have pledged to put the Foreign Ministry at the service of the provinces and municipalities for them to pursue their agenda of foreign relations and their insertion into the world," Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie stated this afternoon in the city of Neuquén at the end of a new edition of the Federal Foreign Ministry Programme, which has already taken place in Chaco, Jujuy and the Province of Buenos Aires.
Alongside the Governor of Neuquén, Omar Gutiérrez, Faurie explained that the aim of the programme is to continue disseminating the mission and actions of the Foreign Ministry within the country and forging the necessary ties to promote better international insertion of local governments, making available the tools of the Ministry to strengthen Argentina's insertion into the world, with a concrete goal: contributing to turning the country into a competitive, sustainable economy that creates quality employment.
"The Federal Foreign Ministry Programme brings us closer and generates constructive dialogue, which enables us to contribute to and support projects and strengthen the connection with our network of over 150 representations, which are permanently offering their knowledge in the field," the Foreign Minister added during the event organized jointly with the Government of Neuquén, which was attended by the president of the Argentine Investment and Trade Promotion Agency, Juan Pablo Tripodi; the National Director for Border Technical Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, Public Works and Housing, Fernando Caffaso; national and provincial legislative authorities and a wide group of business sector representatives.
Faurie highlighted that one of the goals of the Foreign Ministry is to "understand the situation of the entire country, pursue its foreign policy in a federal fashion and make provinces take part in foreign policy shaping, in addition to accounting for our actions and taking responsibility for them, as well as providing information and listening."
During the event, the officials of the Foreign Ministry and the Argentine Investment and Trade Promotion Agency addressed international affairs of interest to the province, including: regional integration, international cooperation, international trade negotiations, support for SMEs in their exports and investment incentives, especially in the energy industry.
As regards economic issues, Faurie stated that "the Foreign Ministry, alongside other State bodies, is working to open markets. Since President Macri took office, 200 markets have opened, in a context in which Argentina is working to recover market access and the world's trust, after 12 years of isolation, and we are also conducting negotiations with 50% of global GDP."
"We are giving an unprecedented boost to infrastructure and physical connectivity, which are key to achieving the necessary productivity for competitiveness. We know that in Neuquén integration is a daily reality. With a 600-km border with Chile, Neuquén is the second province with the most official border crossings (7), 2 of which are border hubs (cardenal Samoré – Pino Hachado) playing a strategic role in local development,” he added.
“In the world that is coming, energy is key. And Neuquén is energy,” the Foreign Minister highlighted, and underscored the “extraordinary potential” of the province, to which he referred as an “internationally strategic site” based on the opportunities it offers in terms of hydrocarbon and renewable energies and tourism.
Neuquén is Argentina’s largest producer of electrical energy and generates almost half of Argentina’s gas output. Vaca Muerta, the second largest unconventional gas reserve in the world, accounts for 40% of Argentina’s unconventional gas resources and has considerable comparative advantages, including: accessibility, operational capacity, water availability, infrastructure and the human capital’s technical experience.
The Argentine Foreign Minister reaffirmed that “the Foreign Ministry supports all efforts to attract investments that create businesses and jobs,” and stated that having opted for international insertion amid the turbulence led to unprecedented “global support,” which for example enabled us to reach an agreement with the IMF in record time and for a record amount, followed by the reclassification as an “emerging market.”
Finally, Faurie stressed the need to continue “working together so that the entire Argentine territory can make the best of the advantages that we gain from our relationship with the world.”
Governor Gutiérrez stated that the “open day” held in the province is “a starting point for designing and implementing a plan that facilitates teamwork.”
The Governor also underscored the importance of “the presence of the Foreign Ministry, the Argentine Investment Agency, provincial institutions, municipalities and universities. When you go abroad, you see how important the Foreign Ministry and the embassies are. It is good to feel that at home as well, where we need to make plans that enable us to have market access. When we manage to produce goods and services and place them in markets, integrating into the world, we are creating more investment, production and jobs.”
Press Release No. 276/18
