The first head of state to meet with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) after the election victory was Argentina’s president, Alberto Fernández, which, for his chancellor, Santiago Cafiero, was the result of “coherence and friendship”. In a pre-election environment, given that Argentines will go to the polls in 2023 to choose their next leader, the minister says that the visit had no electoral purposes.
After a period of cooling off in relations between Argentina and Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the government of the neighboring country is excited. “It’s unfair to say that there was an interruption, things moved slowly and slowly, but they did. Now, we want to accelerate and deepen bilateral development,” Cafiero told Sheetat the San Martín Palace, seat of the chancellery, in Buenos Aires.
How was Fernández’s trip to Brazil decided? We were following the results very carefully, given the scale of the election for us and for the region. When the two spoke on the phone, when Fernández called Lula, it was natural to want him to hug him, the two have a personal friendship. There is no electoral speculation there. Just as Fernández had engaged in Lula’s release, visiting him in prison, with no intention of using it politically, there was never any speculation in this relationship. There is friendship and admiration, that’s what marked our trip.
There was a lot of anti-Argentina campaign during the current Brazilian government. Is that reflected in the relationship? No, it would be unfair to say that the relationship broke off. From the point of view of the two economies, of trade, things went normally, pragmatically. At a slower speed and in less quantity, yes, but it didn’t stop. Now what we want is to undertake a new march in this relationship and to link both economies in a more powerful way, based on science and technology.
How do you see the regional integration blocs? Argentina is giving special impetus to the resumption of CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States). Yes, at Celac we are 33 countries; Brazil is there, but it is the only one not occupying its space. He didn’t formally leave, but he stopped participating. It is important that it has an active voice, not only for Argentina, but for the region, as well as in Unasur [União de Nações Sul-Americanas]. Our priority is to strengthen what we already have that is most profound and lasting in the region, Mercosur. I know that it is disowned by some, but it is necessary to recognize that, even in adverse conditions and with political differences, it continues to work. Obviously, when there is no deeper understanding, or better attunement between governments, the speed is slower.
We hope that, with the arrival of Lula, we can move forward with Mercosur. We are in a model that went into crisis in 2008, deepened with the pandemic and the War in Ukraine. We want to transform the production chain in our countries to include added value to our products, we cannot stop at raw materials alone. We need to add value to add work. The world is giving us this opportunity, and the political affinity between Brazil and Argentina gives us the possibility to walk this path together.
And what about Uruguay’s attempts to sign a free trade agreement with China outside Mercosur? To date, there is no precise study document on an eventual free trade agreement between Uruguay and China, and Mercosur has an open agenda. No one will block Uruguay’s will. What we say is that, if it does, it should be extended to the other member countries of the bloc. This is essential.
What is your view on Venezuela? There is a feeling in the region that Nicolás Maduro is taking advantage of the new geopolitical landscape, now marked by the election of Lula. It is not right to criticize or blame leaders. You have to have a humanitarian approach. It is true that Venezuela is going through a potent humanitarian crisis, which is why there is so much immigration. What we need is to create the conditions so that Venezuelans, if they want, can return to their country and develop.
Argentina stopped supporting opposition leader Juan Guaidó, as Colombia has done and Brazil should do. What has changed in this scenario? Under its previous government, Argentina integrated what was the Lima Group, which was proving ineffective in providing solutions for Venezuelans. Today, Venezuela is moving on a path of normalization. There are different aspects, it is necessary to advance in the defense of human rights and in the investigation of crimes against human rights. Venezuela needs to follow the recommendations that the entire international human rights system has made to it. And our view is that Venezuela has demonstrated that it does. It is a process, it is not resolved, but it has begun.
Is there a risk in Argentina that a slice of the electorate will not accept the result of next year’s election, as is happening in Brazil? Without drawing parallels with Brazil and the USA, Argentina’s trajectory is that of a country that will complete, next year, 40 years of democracy, with space for all political forces that wish to express their country project to do so. We live with great fear the attack that was made against Cristina Kirchner. It was a violent reflection of those who want to threaten our system of public representation. But this was very punctual, and we work daily so that there is no escalation of this situation. I don’t see any political force in Argentina today that does not express itself within the values of our democracy.
x-ray | Santiago Cafiero, 43
Chancellor of Argentina, until last year he was head of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Fernández government, the body responsible for dialogue between the Executive and Legislative branches. He was also Under-Secretary for Industry, Commerce and Mining. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Buenos Aires and a master’s degree in public policy from the Universidad Torcuato di Tella.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
