A United States delegation in Buenos Aires he gave his support to the president-electJavier Milei, in his dialogue with International Monetary Fund (IMF) and in the development of the lithium market in the country, a White House official told Reuters.
Juan Gonzalezadvisor to US President Joe Biden and director of the Western Hemisphere of the National Security Council, said that the conversations were “very positive.”
“I think the number one priority is the economic challenges that Argentina faces,” González told Reuters in an interview after the meeting with Milei, adding that the country needs space and time to put its house in order.
“When it comes to economic challenges… Argentina needs to solve those challenges,” he said, while noting that the grain-producing country also needed to reach an agreement on its economic plan with the IMF. “We’ve just been trying to foster dialogue, facilitate conversationfind a way to be constructive, with different contributions and encourage a constructive outcome between Argentina and the IMF.”
He current IMF programwhich replaced a failed 2018 deal, is increasingly faltering as Argentina’s economic crisis worsens, a trend that fueled the rise of right-wing supporters like Milei, a libertarian economist and former television commentator.
Lithium: key to the management of Javier Milei and the US
González stressed that the delegation had discussed the issue of lithium with Mileiincluding the hope of benefiting from the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which currently does not apply, as it is not a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) partner.
He also stated that USA would be interested in supporting Argentina, the fourth largest lithium producer in the world, and elevating the value chain of the key metal for the battery manufacturing.
“Certainly Argentina is a lithium sourcebut there is no reason why Argentina should not be refining and advancing the lithium value chain and we want to help,” he said.
Asked about a possible agreement to facilitate Argentina’s purchases of US F-16 aircraft, he said the two sides were “having conversations”, without giving more details.
Milei promised a pro-US foreign policy and was critical of China during his campaign.
González clarified that there was no meeting confirmed with the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyalthough he noted that an informal conversation with the head of the US delegation, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, was likely.
“I think that at the presidential inauguration there will be an opportunity to speak. I’m sure she will look for it,” he said. C
Source: Ambito
