RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro proposed a bilateral meeting with Argentinian President Alberto Fernández on March 1st in Montevideo. They are expected to meet during the inauguration of Uruguay’s new president, Luis Lacalle Pou, on the same day. The Brazilian president invited Argentinian Chancellor Felipe Solá during a meeting at the Planalto Palace yesterday afternoon, February 12th.
“It was a proposal from President Bolsonaro, who already expected that both would meet in the inauguration and asked for an extra (bilateral meeting) with President Alberto Fernández,” said the Argentinian minister. According to him, yesterday’s meeting also served to trim the edges between the governments of South America’s largest economies.
Alberto Fernández won the elections for the leftist coalition ‘Frente de Todos’ and his vice-president is Senator Cristina Kirchner, the country’s former president. Bolsonaro is a critic of Kirchnerism and supported the re-election of President Mauricio Macri, who was defeated at the polls in the October elections last year in the neighboring country.
“There are things that are perceived differently here and in Argentina. And this meeting was very important for that. Things have changed greatly,” Solá added. Argentina’s foreign minister requested the support of President Bolsonaro in renegotiating the country’s debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In 2018, the Argentine government signed a US$57 billion loan agreement with the IMF during Macri’s administration.
Felipe Solá said Argentina is supportive of Mercosur’s trade agreements with other countries and economic blocs, in reference to the treaty signed last year with the European Union. “We told him [Bolsonaro] that Mercosur must look ahead, that Mercosur must renew itself, turn to the world, and that we support Mercosur’s agreements with different regions and countries”.
Venezuela
Regarding Venezuela, the Argentinian chancellor said he, like Brazil, is supportive of the establishment of democracy in the country, but that he adopts different methodologies. “We are not in favor of Maduro, we are in favor of democracy, just like Brazil. First, democracy, which implies a great deal of obligations, but also implies peace, that no blood is spilled in Venezuela. We do not have exactly the same methodology as Brazil, but we aim for the same end,” he said.
Solá said the country will continue to be part of the Lima Group, which includes countries across the continent seeking solutions to the Venezuelan political stalemate, but will advocate other approaches to dealing with the country, though he not specify which ones. He advocated “clean” elections in Venezuela, including the participation of people who emigrated from the country in the midst of the crisis.
“Some issues didn’t work out in Venezuela, so we will try to change them. Our goal is to have absolutely clean elections in Venezuela, which are controlled by all those institutions in the world that are able to ensure free elections, and that Venezuelans who are in exile may also vote”.
Source: Agência Brasil