The three objectives of Argentine foreign policy, minister Diana Mondino

The three objectives of Argentine foreign policy, minister Diana Mondino

Minister Mondino during the AmCham conference

Argentine Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship minister, Diana Mondino said that three are the main foreign policy objectives of the government of president Javier Milei, international trade and treaties, regional integration and improving logistic costs and returning Argentina to a position of international relevance and prestige, a reliable country with a respected loud voice worldwide, in a context of clear and fair rules of the game so promote corporations from the private sector.

Ms. Mondino made the statement during the annual summit of the United States Chamber of Commerce in Buenos Aires, an event earlier this week that brings together ministers, elected officials, diplomats, obviously the current US ambassador in Argentina Marc Stanley“, and hundreds of business representatives from the private sector. This year’s AmCham convening title of the multi conference was ”A viable Argentina“.

”The government is committed to ensure as fast as possible, that the Argentine constitution will prevail, and equality before the law, with all constitutional rights and guarantees, eliminating the discretional factors which only increase costs and arbitrary red tape currently faced by corporations,“ underlined the minister.

As to the three objectives, Mondino pointed out to, ”international trade treaties which will smooth tariff issues and homologate sanitary conditions, since we need to balance the ‘pitch’ with other countries with similar production but that can reach markets al lower prices“. The minister did not make any comments of the recent freezing, by EU members, of the Mercosur/EU longstanding trade and cooperation treaty, but did anticipate that in coming weeks Singapore and Mercosur would be signing a wide ranging trade agreement.

As a second point, Mondino mentioned regional integration meaning not only opening the Argentine economy to free trade, but also improving regional logistic costs and improving border exchange conditions as to facilitate the flow of goods and services.

Finally Argentina’s international standing, in a reasonable time span that the country returns to a relevance reliable position, actively participating in global affairs, with a voice and opinion that are listened and respected worldwide.

The message to corporations bosses and business people was that they will need ”to equal or improve competitiveness in such a way that they can reach out to the world selling their goods under better opportunities“

Minister Mondino also admitted for these conditions, that the current government needs to have a zero deficit budget, with no need for ‘spurious’ financing, without printing money or inflation, helping to boost the magic word of ‘productivity’. We will all have to better things, government and private sector”.

The president of the American Chamber of Commerce, Facundo Gomez Minujin underlined that “for decades we were made to believe that the State was the only one capable of pulling Argentina ahead. This has proved to be nonsense, and that job rests on the private sector”.

“No economy is viable based on a policy of subsidies for food, public health, education, security, transport, housing, fuel power and gas,” he affirmed.

The AmCham brings together some 720 companies from 42 different economic sectors, represents 24% of Argentina’s GDP, 39% of government revenue, plus 45% of exports and 35% of imports.