RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Argentine President Alberto Fernández will begin his first European trip on Wednesday, January 29th, from Paris to Berlin, via the Vatican and Italy, as part of the renegotiation of Argentina’s public debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and private creditors.
“In Europe, in addition to his Holiness, we will meet with Western leaders. Because we share affinities and we are interested in hearing what they think of the country and because Argentina is engaged in a complex negotiation, which is crucial for its future, and all hold a seat at the IMF,” said Felipe Sola, the head of Argentine diplomacy.
The Vatican will be the president’s first stop, where Alberto Fernández will be welcomed by his fellow countryman, Pope Francis.
The Argentine head of state is expected to invite him to visit his homeland, where Francis has not returned since being appointed head of the Catholic Church in March 2013.
Alberto Fernández will also meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome.
The Argentine president’s visit to Europe will continue in Germany, where he will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, February 3rd.
The following day Fernández will be in Madrid to meet with the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, and King Felipe VI.
The Argentine President will also be welcomed by the French President, Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, February 5th.
“France is a major investor in Argentina. French companies are becoming involved in the (exploitation) of lithium” in northern Argentina, pointed out the Argentine leader, who has just arrived from Israel on his first international trip, where he took part in a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp symbol of the holocaust.
The trip to Europe “has as its main goal to improve Argentina’s position in the debt renegotiation,” explained the Argentine economist Rosendo Fraga.
Argentina is the most indebted country in Latin America, with a debt of some US$335 billion, representing 93 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), which already includes US$44 billion loaned by the IMF in an agreement signed in 2018 by Mauricio Macri’s center-right government.
Economy Minister Martin Guzman is currently in the United States to negotiate with the IMF.