Monday, January 23, 2023 | 7:01 p.m.
President Alberto Fernández highlighted that “we are experiencing a turning point in the history of Argentina and Brazil”, leading this afternoon with his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a meeting with more than 300 businessmen at the Bicentennial Museum, which developed with the aim of deepening bilateral and regional integration.
“We are putting the link between Brazil and Argentina back into operation, which in recent years has been damaged and postponed,” highlighted Alberto Fernández, while Lula da Silva appreciated that “the relationship between Brazil and Argentina returns to its normality” and He pointed out that “we cannot waste more time because it is necessary to move forward.”
With these words, the presidents opened the activity that brought together representatives of large companies, SMEs, associations and business chambers from Argentina and Brazil, as well as unions and financial services entities and the knowledge economy.
Also taking part in the event, for Argentina, were the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Santiago Cafiero, and of the Economy, Sergio Massa; and the head of the Argentine Industrial Union, Daniel Funes de Rioja. And for Brazil, the head of the Treasury portfolio, Fernando Haddad, and the heads of the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), Robson Braga De Andrade, and the Brazilian Export Agency, Jorge Viana. Governors and governors and members of the national Cabinet also participated.
“Both Lula and I are convinced that Brazil and Argentina are two peoples that must always be indissolubly united, and that forces us to work together and project a more just and egalitarian society in which everyone has access to health services and education, and where everyone can progress”, said the first Argentine president.
He pointed out that “we are experiencing a turning point in the history of Argentina and Brazil in recent years”, and remarked that “it is much easier for our peoples to progress and have decent living conditions if we reconcile interests and seek agreements, and if we take dimension of what we are capable of doing if we unite once and for all”.
“I want this to be the beginning of fruitful, hard, consistent work, where Argentine and Brazilian businessmen try to join efforts and enhance their qualities so that it becomes the necessary synergy that makes our nations grow”, the President deepened.
For his part, Lula da Silva thanked “the businessmen of Brazil and Argentina because we know that they are responsible for the existence of a consolidation between our negotiations,” he said, and in this framework he assured that the National Bank for Economic and Social Development of Brazil (BNDES) “is going to refinance the commercial relationship and projects that help Brazilian companies abroad and, in this way, we are going to have results and enrich our countries.”
Next, Funes de Rioja presented the declaration signed by the UIA and the CNI that contains an “immediate and common plan of action for the objectives that the economy and production can achieve for the development and social inclusion of our countries.”
In the same vein, De Andrade said that “Brazilian businessmen are very happy with this decision by President Lula to come to Argentina to resume political and economic relations.”
“Argentina for us is a fundamental partner and we are sure that in MERCOSUR we can grow and make it have the capacity to discuss international agreements, such as with the European Union,” he said and in this sense indicated that in a short term they will present “a proposal for economic integration” of the regional bloc, because “it is the businessmen who have to fight and exert strength so that it can exist.”
Minister Massa highlighted that “the agreement that we are launching today with Brazil means trying to recover the lost volume, with almost a 40 percent drop in the trade relationship between Argentina and Brazil in the last ten years,” and in turn pondered ” the decision of both governments to start working on the goal of a common currency, with an invitation to other countries in the region, for the purpose of deepening the trade system”.
“I defend Latin American integration, especially the strengthening and entry of new partners into Mercosur and the normalization of relations with Bolivia, Venezuela and other aspirants to join the bloc, because I understand that, no matter how strong the Brazilian economy is, today In the world, integration is a distinctive element of our competitiveness”, said Minister Haddad in his presentation.
Meanwhile, Cafiero maintained that “the presence of Alberto and Lula ratifies the course that puts Argentina and Brazil back on that path of development from which they should not have deviated”, as well as the “vocation to work together to solve the problems ” from both countries.
The activity is proposed as a favorable space for the exchange of the public and private sectors of both countries with a view to advancing in the implementation of convergence and cooperation initiatives, in addition to monitoring projects linked to specific sectors -mining, energy, agriculture -business, connectivity, knowledge economy, infrastructure, telecommunications, tourism, health- and to promote an economic and productive model that includes more companies in the regional value chains.
