New impulses for relations between Switzerland and Argentina
Bern, 18.04.2017 - On Tuesday, 18 April, President Doris Leuthard met President Mauricio Macri in Buenos Aires as part of her official visit to Argentina. They agreed to intensify the longstanding relations between Switzerland and Argentina in business and trade, as well as in several other areas. To that end they adopted a joint presidential declaration which will serve as a roadmap for deepening cooperation. Negotiations on a free trade agreement between EFTA and Mercosur should begin in the first half of the year.
At their meeting President Doris Leuthard and Argentinian President Mauricio Macri discussed business and trade. There was particular emphasis on the planned free trade agreement between EFTA, of which Switzerland is a member, and Mercosur, to which Argentina belongs. Negotiations are expected to start in the first half of the year. Closer cooperation would also be beneficial in areas such as science, justice, infrastructure and finance, as well as in environmental and climate protection and within the UN, where the two countries have worked together on human rights for many years.
Switzerland and Argentina share core values and ideas and at international level encourage openness, cooperation and dialogue. President Leuthard and President Macri signed a joint declaration to strengthen cooperation. The declaration outlines the state of bilateral relations and serves as a roadmap for expanding and deepening relations.
President Macri informed the Swiss president about his reform agenda for Argentina which is designed to return the country to stable growth and strengthen legal certainty. Ms Leuthard congratulated President Macri and his government on the forthcoming presidency of the G-20 and renewed Switzerland’s willingness to work together with Argentina, particularly in the framework of the G-20 finance track, efforts to tackle corruption and trade and investment.
Both sides acknowledged the closer collaboration in research launched two years ago, and in particular the cooperation between the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Argentina’s equivalent body CONICET. There are also new and promising cooperation efforts in the field of culture: thanks to its thriving and important art scene, Buenos Aires will be the first partner city of ‘Art Basel Cities’, a new initiative aimed at expanding Art Basel’s involvement in the art world.
During her stay in Argentina President Leuthard will also meet with a number of government ministers including Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, Finance Minister Luis Caputo, Budget Minister Nicolas Dujovne, Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich and Agriculture Minister Ricardo Buryaile.
Major infrastructure projects
Prior to the meeting with President Macri, President Leuthard laid a floral tribute at the monument in honour of General San Martín, one of the leaders in the struggle for the Republic of Argentina’s independence declared in 1816. Ms Leuthard has been invited to give a speech at the foreign policy think tank, Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) in Buenos Aires. Also on the agenda are meetings with business representatives and members of the Swiss community, as well as a tour of the tunnelling site on the Sarmiento railway line, one of Argentina’s largest infrastructure projects.
Relations between Switzerland and Argentina are long standing and wide ranging. Around 16,000 Swiss nationals live in Argentina today – the largest Swiss community in Latin America. The country is the third largest location for Swiss foreign investment in Latin America behind Brazil and Mexico.
Onward journey to Lima
On Thursday the Swiss delegation will travel on to Peru. President Leuthard will be received by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski on Friday, 21 April. Since the turn of the century Peru has strengthened its democracy and experienced impressive economic growth. It is the first time that a Swiss president has paid an official visit to Argentina or Peru. Ms Leuthard will be accompanied on her voyage by a business delegation.
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