On the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting being held in Rio de Janeiro, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino took part in the second plenary session and in a special meeting on support for Haiti. In addition, she held working meetings with her counterparts from Mexico, South Korea and Paraguay.
During this morning’s session on "Global Governance Reform", Foreign Minister Mondino explained that "Argentina is embarking on a new economic era, promoting an open market economy, free competitiveness of economic actors, investment attraction, the strengthening of the rule of law and full integration into the global economy."
When referring to the need for a greater commercial integration of added value chains, Mondino explained that "Argentina does not produce cocoa and, nonetheless, it produces the best chocolate sweets thanks to components coming from all over the world."
Mondino, accompanied by the Argentine Sherpa to the G20, Federico Pinedo, added: "My country is strongly committed to the defence of multilateralism and global governance. Argentina has initiated the accession process to the OECD, which will contribute to a greater legal certainty for investors, guaranteeing a favourable environment for the private sector with transparent and predictable rules for companies."
The Foreign Minister also stated that "for Argentina addressing current agricultural inequalities is a priority. It is the great debt of the WTO and it is the sector that suffers these distortions the most." In addition, she said: "It is urgent to strengthen the multilateral system, enhance traditional values of the system such as the unrestricted respect for life and freedom, and strengthen international institutions and diplomacy. This is the only way to resume the path towards prosperity at the global level."
With respect to global governance, Mondino added that "Argentina and Brazil agree to emphatically address the reform of the multilateral system. Current wars and the increased number of conflicts highlighted the urgency to reform the Security Council and make it a more representative, responsible, democratic, transparent and efficient body. These debates must be held at the UN General Assembly, a forum created for those purposes."
Moreover, Mondino was clear when stating the following: "To that end, the first pillar must be the enhancement of the global financial safety net, with a more representative IMF at its core that is adequately funded. And a swift and cost-effective way to give immediate financial assistance to medium-income countries is the revision of the IMF surcharge policy, which will enable speeding up the solution of the balance of payments problems, returning to a sustained growth path and recovering market access."
At the end of the second plenary session, Mondino concluded: “If we want to help developing countries focus on long-term transformation programmes, then affordable, predictable and sustainable financing is necessary for all.”
BILATERAL MEETINGS
Then, the Foreign Minister met with her Mexican counterpart, Alicia Bárcena, with a view to strengthening cooperation and bilateral trade, in the context of the 135th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, an occasion that will serve to consolidate the strategic partnership existing between the two countries. They agreed to cement the political and cultural ties and to explore possibilities for broadening and diversifying bilateral trade and investments.
In addition, Mondino held a bilateral meeting with her Paraguayan counterpart, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, and they discussed the main topics on the common agenda and the regional and global challenges. They also stressed the importance of making progress on the development of projects for border connectivity and physical integration, as well as on cooperation in security and defence. Finally, they agreed that MERCOSUR should be modernized, so as to adjust to the current world demands.
The Foreign Minister also held a working meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. They addressed topics on the common agenda, especially with respect to the development of South Korean investments in Argentina, in key sectors such as electronics, mining, logistics and fisheries, among others. In this context, they discussed projects in the area of energy transition (lithium) and the need to boost cooperation in sectors such as the peaceful use of nuclear energy and space and Antarctic cooperation.
MINISTERIAL MEETING ON HAITI
In the context of the second day of the event, the Foreign Minister also participated in the ministerial meeting titled “Rising to the Challenge on Haiti”, aimed at addressing the current situation in the Caribbean country, with a focus on the prospects of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti, approved last October by the United Nations Security Council.
