At 12 noon in Paris (7 in Argentina), the president Alberto Fernandez arrived at the Elysée Palace to meet his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. It was the last official activity of the tour carried out this week by the Argentine head of state in Europe.
“We cannot continue to put food security at risk. That is why I want to see if I can find in President Macron, a man with whom we are united by a humanist vision, if we can do something to put an end to the Russian attack and help restore peace in Ukraine and in the world.”, assured the President during a joint statement prior to the meeting.
“The world can’t stand any more deaths. Peace is urgent. I wanted to talk to my friend to tell him that we make ourselves available to see how we can help from Latin America so that the world can regain peace”added the Argentine president .
The meeting lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes.. After saying goodbye, the President went directly to the airport to undertake today the return to Argentina.
The Head of State assured that from his role as president of CELAC he traveled to Europe with the intention of bringing to the old continent the concern and voice of Latin America regarding the impact of the war.
Later, at the bilateral meeting, Macron expressed his willingness for CELAC and the European Union to work in coordination. And – as he knew Infobae– the French president expressed his concern because he sees a catastrophic crisis due to lack of food in the next 12 and 18 months due to the war in Ukraine.
Another relevant point of the talk was that Alberto Fernández told Macron that in Chubut and Santa Cruz they found “a reserve similar to that of Vaca Muerta”but explained that the country “needs strategic partners to liquefy and export”.
The meeting was marked by the cordiality and affection that both presidents fostered. As soon as they saw each other, they closed in a hug that lasted for a few seconds.
“The Russian attack must be stopped, as requested by the UN Security Council. We want to collaborateFernandez insisted. The war was the theme that the President emphasized most throughout the tour.
Macron was re-elected and took charge of his second stage on Saturday, May 7. In this sense, the President congratulated him and said: “We celebrate his electoral success, he brought a lot of peace to the world.”
It is the third time that Fernández visits Macron. The first was in February 2020, two months after taking office. He later traveled to Paris in May 2021 and this Friday he made his last visit.
Along with the President, the foreign minister, Santiago Cafiero; the Secretary of International Economic Relations, Cecilia Todesca; the presidential secretary, Julio Vitobello; the Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Gustaco Beliz, the Spokesperson, Gabriela Cerruti and the UNESCO ambassador, Marcela Losardo.
As soon as he received it, Macron treated Fernández as “a friend” and assured that he is an “important actor on this stormy international scene”, referring to the war.
The French president also thanked him for Argentina’s support in international forums regarding the condemnation of Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.
During his speech, Macron made clear his desire for the European Union and Latin America to have “a closer relationship.”
The meeting with the French president was very important for the Head of State, who insisted to be able to coordinate the agenda and be received by the French. During the last two weeks there were negotiations without definitions. Only on Tuesday was the government able to confirm the place and time of the meeting.
Both in the meetings with the President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez; with the prince Philip VI and the German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Fernández raised the need to get involved to stop the escalation of violence in Ukraine. He today he reinforced that idea.
The President does not agree with the idea of marginalizing Russia from the financial and commercial system with the intention of suffocating it and, consequently, to give up its decision to bomb Ukraine. He has made it known to all the European leaders he was with who are in favor of those sanctions.
Fernández assured yesterday afternoon that the consequences of the war not only affect those involved, but the whole world. “We have to do something so that this conflict ends as soon as possible. We have to do something to bring about the end of the Russian military actions on Ukraine and we have to do something so that the parties sit down and find an understanding”, he assured.
The Argentine president considers that once the pandemic passed, social inequality increased throughout the world and the economic situation of underdeveloped countries abruptly worsened; among them, that of Argentina and several of the region. That is why Fernández’s argument is that the war exceeds the limits of Europe and complicates the global economy.
The global crisis situation gives Argentina a chance. Why? Because it is a producer of food and energy, two supplies that are in short supply in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Fernández has told the European leaders, and raised it with Macron as well, that the country can be a safe provider of both resources.
We do not feel that this is an issue between Russia and NATO, Russia and Ukraine, Russia and Europe. We feel that the dimension of the conflict acquires global characteristics. And the consequences of the actions that have been taken have a direct impact on our daily lives,” the President stressed.
During the conference in Paris, the Head of State said to leave “the tranquility of having put the voice of Latin America in this conflict” and having been “categorical” with regarding the need to complete the war process that has been escalating in recent weeks. “In my capacity as President of CELAC I see myself in the obligation, moral and ethical, to take this message to those who are actors”, he assured.
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