President Alberto Fernández will meet with his American counterpart Joe Biden this Wednesday in the Oval Office. The bilateral meeting had been suspended last July due to the spread of Covid-19 from the North American president. Sergio Massa will travel directly to Washington and will join the official entourage. In the Government they assure that the photo between the presidents is a sign of support for economic stability. There will also be a meeting with businessmen from the Council of the Americas.
The news was released last Thursday, but the local Executive was awaiting confirmation from the White House, which only arrived this Sunday morning. The official communication details that Fernández and Biden “will talk about how to address global challenges and discuss mutual interests among which climate change, space and technology appear.”
In any case, a photo with the president of the United States is always a political signal. That is what the government is betting on, beyond the protocol agenda and the issues to be addressed. “The support for the macroeconomic order will be clear,” synthesized a high-ranking source that integrates the delegation to this medium. In this sense, he added that “this is vital to stop all the conspiracies that may exist in an election year.”
Biden’s role is not minor in the current context. The president leads the largest shareholder of the International Monetary Fund that he is the only member with veto power within the board of the organization that audits the national accounts quarterly. In these reviews, it is decided whether or not the conditions are given to make the disbursements that allow the debt that has been dragging on since 2018 to be settled.
The political influence of the United States when operating in the decisions of the Fund is enormous and its power of action is multiplied in the midst of a change in macroeconomic conditions as a result of the drought suffered by Argentina, which could imply recalibrating the goals of the program. The degree of flexibility will depend largely on the line that is lowered from the north.
“It is a turning point in the bilateral relationship. If there is something that serves to measure the state of the link between countries, it is precisely the personal meeting of the Heads of State,” said the Argentine ambassador to the United States, Jorge Arguello, about Fernández’s meeting with Biden.
The Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa will arrive in Washington on Tuesday and will join the delegation that will enter the White House along with the President, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and Ambassador Jorge Argüello. The meeting is expected to last at least 90 minutes with an open agenda.
Previously, the delegation will hold a meeting with businessmen gathered in the Council of the Americas. The United States is the main foreign investor in Argentina and the government believes that there is potential to grow in sectors such as energy, mining, industry and the knowledge economy.
Source: Ambito
