Buenos Aires (EFE) It is still pending ratification.
«Our wish is that we do not continue prolonging the discussion and that we can quickly reach an agreement and put it into operation. This will do the EU economy and Mercosur good, we are convinced,” Fernández asserted at a joint press conference at the Palacio de San Martín, headquarters of the Argentine Foreign Ministry.
In his statement to the press, the head of the German Government agreed on “the special importance” that ratifying the agreement reached on June 28, 2019 after 20 years of talks has for both blocs and that, therefore, has become ” an objective’ the ‘rapid end of the negotiations’.
“It is important that we have a constructive spirit, we must work hand in hand to find a way and for the negotiations to come to fruition,” he commented.
The ratification of the agreement
For his part, and beyond the coincidence in the need to ratify the agreement “once and for all”, the Argentine president stressed that the arrival of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the Brazilian Presidency will give one last push to unlock the talks .
“I think that (with Lula) we are in a better position to promote the agreement because there are more coincidences” between the two blocs, especially in environmental matters, said Fernández, recalling the deforestation policies of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro.
According to Fernández, the ratification of the agreement between the European Union and the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), which is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, “would make it possible to draw an axis that, in some way, promotes multilateralism in a world that tends to to polarize.”
However, the Argentine president attacked the “protectionism applied by some European countries” and which, in his opinion, “make it difficult for products from Mercosur countries to access the European market.”
The meeting held by both leaders was marked, fundamentally, by economic issues, since Argentina exhibited its potential for the exploitation of food and energy resources and Germany showed its interest in investing in projects on the ground.
The German chancellor began his first official visit to Argentina this Saturday since he took office in December 2021, as part of a tour that will also take him to Chile and Brazil.
After being received at the Ezeiza International Airport (Buenos Aires province) by the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Santiago Cafiero, he participated with him in a wreath-laying before the Monument to the pro-independence hero José de San Martín.
Scholz assures that he will do “everything” to avoid a war
The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, assures that his government will do “everything” possible to avoid an escalation of war between Russia and the NATO member countries, after this week his Executive authorized the shipment of Leopard 2 type tanks to Ukraine. .
“We have done everything so that there is no escalation of this war leading to a conflict between Russia and the NATO states. We are going to do everything so that this does not happen,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, at the Palacio de San Martín, headquarters of the Argentine Foreign Ministry.
The German Executive announced this Wednesday that it will deliver a company of Leopard type 2A6 battle tanks corresponding to its army, which means 14 units, in addition to allowing the allies that have these armored vehicles, made in Germany, to join those shipments.
In his appearance before the media, Scholz insisted that it is a conflict “between Russia and Ukraine”, which does not prevent Germany or other countries from supporting kyiv with humanitarian and financial aid or by sending arms, according to explained.
The German chancellor acknowledged that the war in Ukraine was one of the topics of conversation in his meeting with Alberto Fernández, with whom he agrees on respect for the “rules” of international law.
Argentina’s position
Questioned about his position regarding the shipment of tanks to Ukraine, Fernández assured that the German chancellor knows his “look” on this issue, while stating that Latin American countries “are not thinking of sending weapons to Ukraine or anywhere else ” at war.
“It is an issue that we have to work on together. In the northern hemisphere missiles are flying and people are dying, but in the southern hemisphere this has repercussions with higher costs and hunger. What I want is for Russia to understand the damage that all this is causing to the southern hemisphere,” the Argentine president asserted.
“I cannot comment on the decisions that other countries make, but what I am sure is that what both the foreign minister and I most want is for peace to be recovered as soon as possible,” he added.
