Alberto Fernández said that Mercosur is the "most important regional political project» for Argentina and fought for the block to become «the flagship of sustainable development, technological innovation and social inclusion"and not "close itself off from the world in an anachronistic way."
«We need more and better Mercosur", said the president while participating in the Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States, during which Argentina received the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc from the Uruguayan Luis Lacalle Pou to exercise it during the first half of 2021.
Fernández delivered his message from the presidential residence in Olivos, within the framework of the summit that is being held virtually due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
"I am taking charge at a difficult time but with great enthusiasm. In memory of the beloved Tabaré Vázquez, I assume the role assigned to me with all the commitment and love I feel for this continent," said the head of state, remembering the recently deceased former president of Uruguay.
"In memory of the beloved Tabaré Vázquez, I assume the role assigned to me with all the commitment and love I feel for this continent."
In his speech before taking office, the President thanked his counterpart Lacalle Pou for the "success" of the "efforts made by his government to advance the Mercosur agenda in this health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic."
In the presence of his peers from Uruguay; from Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez; from Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; from Bolivia, Luis Arce; and from Chile, Sebastián Piñera, Fernández called for the design of "actions that contribute to an economic recovery" in the region.
«Argentina is betting on the region as the key to regional human development.Mercosur is the most important regional political project for our country. It is a State policy", the Head of State made clear and shared the "dream of a different Mercosur, converted into a flagship of sustainable development, technological innovation and social inclusion."
"Overcoming this pandemic - he said - means that we build a continental solidarity, understanding - as Pope Francis often says - that nowhere in the world, not even in Latin America, is anyone saved alone."
Accompanied in the speech by the Chief of Staff, Santiago Cafiero, and the Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, the President said that "we do not need less Mercosur, we need more and better Mercosur" and that "implies building an echo of Mercosur» to design a «Low-carbon and sustainable regional model«.
"We must identify actions that contribute to a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery," he said, adding: "We must understand that in the post-pandemic world, integration will be ecological or it will not happen."
He also said that "more and better Mercosur also means starting with the last, reaching everyone, since there is no successful regional integration with a failed social integration and there is no robust economy with a malnourished internal economy."
"It is time to overcome the globalization of indifference and build the universalization of solidarity, and this task begins with our flagship: Mercosur, with nuances and diversity," he said.
"The dimension of Mercosur - he pointed out - transcends the economic and social environment that had its beginnings and now encompasses much more such as cultural exchange; migration policies; democracy and human rights; and physical integration; racial equity and the promotion of women."
At the same time, he assessed that "the expansion and deepening of Mercosur is the most appropriate tool to improve the living conditions of our people and basically for those who are in the most vulnerable situation."
At that point, he said that "The incorporation of Bolivia as a state party will be a huge achievement in this objective"a true milestone in this process of regional integration that we must continue to deepen."
"Strengthening the bloc is essential to consolidate its position in internal trade negotiations," said the Argentine president, highlighting that Mercosur "exports more than 120 billion dollars worth of food to the world."
In line with this, Fernández pointed out that "in the face of the challenges that the pandemic has generated in terms of the food crisis in the world, Mercosur has the opportunity to play an important role by promoting more open agricultural trade."
"We must improve - he reaffirmed - the conditions that our products face in order to enter the internal markets, as well as we must open ourselves more to international trade, preserving our economies," and clarified that this "cannot imply a frivolous or principled opening, just as we cannot think of closing ourselves off to the world in an anachronistic way."
"It is about," said Fernandez, " Analyze the true value of each trade agreement and move forward in those cases where we can really achieve openness to external markets and in this context I propose that we reflect on the consequences of the inclusive crisis on our productive structure."
"It is about achieving a balance between rights and obligations, achieving openings of relevant markets without assuming impossible burdens, and that requires commercial intelligence," he added.
Meanwhile, Fernández warned that "negotiating and signing trade agreements without taking these conditions into account represents a risk and that is why we must work hard to reach agreements with the business sector and the private sector, which is a key element."
«We see that There are negotiations that must be carefully analyzed. to determine its true value and Argentina has certain expectations that certain agreements can finally be closed but it is about signing realistic, feasible instruments that improve the productive and export profile without affecting our employment," he added.
"This challenge should not be addressed through binary rhetoric, and it is not enough to simply think of common trade and industrial policies, but rather a common financial integration strategy must be designed," the head of state clarified in his speech.
Finally, he insisted that "it is not enough to discuss tariffs alone, but we must be able to build a common action in financial matters taking advantage of almost zero, non-existent interest rates" and called for "strengthening the region from external contingencies and volatility shocks that we suffer from time to time."
Source: Telam
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