Today, Foreign Minister Felipe Solá received Juan Sebastián González, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere of the National Security Council, and Julie Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
The meeting was held at the Palacio San Martín following a virtual working lunch that President Alberto Fernández held from the Presidential Residence in Olivos with González and Chung. The working lunch was also attended by Foreign Minister Solá, the Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Gustavo Béliz and the Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, MaryKay Carlson.
“We had a long and very interesting conversation, during which we discussed the possibility of the United States providing us with vaccines that they have in stock and that Argentina urgently needs,” Solá stated after the meeting.
The Minister, who was joined by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Pablo Tettamanti, and the Chief of the Private Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guillermo Justo Chaves, mentioned that they discussed Argentina’s debt situation and the support of the United States for the agreement with private bondholders and current negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. “We presented our arguments in a clear way,” Solá noted.
“We also referred to the personal letter that President Biden sent to Alberto Fernández, as well as the economic prospects.” He added that “we agreed to pick up the phone as a way to fast-track the resolution of any issues.”
“We are truly pleased with this meeting,” Solá concluded.
On the US Embassy side, the meeting was attended by the Chargé d'Affaires, MaryKay Carlson; the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Chris Andino, and the Acting Political Advisor, Jamie O’Mealia.
