News of diplomacy

US ELECTION 2020

Latin America watches on as United States heads to the polls

Today 10:36 With the region facing unprecedented economic and health concerns, as well as the issue of China’s increasing presence, Tuesday’s election could set the tone for the next phase of US-Latin America relations.

by Jennifer Heiman & Anina Hoffman

US ELECTION 2020

Ties that bind or blind: a brief history of US-Argentine relations

Today 10:31 Formal bilateral ties date back to January 27, 1823 – predating the Monroe Doctrine by over 10 months and long before Argentina was called Argentina.

by Michael Soltys

5G INFRASTRUCTURE

US seeks to sway Brazil on Chinese 5G with US$1-billion deal

21-10-2020 15:56 Washington promises Brazil US$1 billion in financing toward US imports, adding a carrot to its campaign to convince the country not to use China's Huawei to develop its 5G network.

Latin America

Brazil-US turbulence ahead in case of Biden victory

11-10-2020 17:27 Diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States are likely to become more turbulent in the event of a Joe Biden victory in November.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

France says opposes EU-Mercosur trade deal over deforestation concerns

18-09-2020 10:38 France opposed to free-trade deal in its current form due to "major" concerns about deforestation in the region, the government said on Friday.

SINO-ARGENTINE RELATIONS

Argentina’s ties with China deepen under Fernández

22-08-2020 08:27 Peronist leader leads charge to develop ties with Asian giant, which is now Argentina’s largest trading partner. Trip to Shanghai pencilled in for early November, with business, the pandemic and pork topping the agenda.

by Juan Luis González

BLOOMBERG

Brazil, Argentina vow to put tensions aside amid deep slump

21-08-2020 03:49 Argentina's new ambassador to Brazil, veteran Peronist Daniel Scioli, presents credentials to President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia.

SINO-ARGENTINE RELATIONS

Alberto Fernández planning 'strategic trip' to China in November

19-08-2020 22:44 Peronist leader eyeing potential trip to Asian powerhouse in November. Multi-billion-dollar agreements and the coronavirus pandemic lead agenda for talks with Argentina's leading trade partner.

by Juan Luis González

inter-american development bank

Siding with Trump, 17 nations reject delay to vote on IDB chief

18-08-2020 23:29 Seventeen nations – including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia – release letter rejecting attempts to delay vote on next chief of Inter-American Development Bank, complicating Argentina's hopes for their own candidate.

LATIN AMERICA

Trump's envoy close to Brazil's leader – some say too close

05-08-2020 23:59 Jair Bolsonaro has made alliance with the United States the cornerstone of his foreign policy since taking office 19 months ago. That's afforded US Ambassador Todd Chapman broad leeway, with some questioning if he's too close to the Brazilian leader.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

US diplomat warns of 'consequences' if Brazil picks Huawei 5G

29-07-2020 23:44 The United States has been actively lobbying countries worldwide to boycott Huawei, arguing the firm could allow the Chinese government to spy on their data.

POLITICS & THE PANDEMIC

Coalitions under stress

18-07-2020 08:37 Political rivals are accusing each other of being “haters” – but of course, one person's hater is another person's hero. The pressure, however, is not just external.

by Martín Gambarotta

Coronavirus pandemic

Macri: 'The government has tried to diminish freedoms' during pandemic

09-07-2020 01:50 Former president breaks silence in online interview, vowing to strengthen his Juntos por el Cambio coalition ahead of next year's midterms and accusing the Alberto Fernández administration of seeking to "diminish freedoms."

UNITED STATES

Trump asked China's Xi for re-election help, claims Bolton

18-06-2020 00:44 Former US national security adviser John Bolton claims in book that at "the Osaka G-20 meeting, with only interpreters present, Xi explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang" and that US president said Chinese leader backed the move, saying it was "exactly the right thing to do."

Inter-American Development Bank

Testing tradition, Trump taps senior adviser to lead Latin bank

16-06-2020 23:00 Trump's hand-picked candidate, Mauricio Claver-Carone, looks likely to go head-to-head with Gustavo Beliz for the role, as US breaks with tradition of choosing a Latin American to lead the Inter-American Development Bank.

Bloomberg

Argentina, Brazil in talks to flush dam water into Paraná River

16-04-2020 08:26 Governments in talks to release water from the giant Itaipú Dam with a view to topping up the Paraná River, where ebbing levels are stymieing a US$20-billion-a-year crop export business.

Diplomatic effort

Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay jointly repatriate 386 people

15-04-2020 00:25 Group had been affected by the closure of respective borders and cancellations of commercial flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.

WIKILEAKS FOUNDER

Assange had two children while inside Ecuador's London Embassy

13-04-2020 08:51 Julian Assange's partner revealed Sunday that she had two children with him while he lived inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, issues plea for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison over health fears.

Crisis in Venezuela

Lima Group urges world to help bring stability to Venezuela

21-02-2020 12:26 Foreign ministers seek international support for a return to democracy in Venezuela.

First Foreign Trip

Symbolic and strategic: Fernández picks Israel for first foreign trip

17-01-2020 00:12 President’s decision to visit Jerusalem next week welcomed by Jewish community in Buenos Aires.

by Joseph Charney

DIPLOMACY

Casa Rosada puts brakes on Vatican ambassador nomination

16-01-2020 21:05 Career diplomat Luis Bellando’s nomination – which had already been submitted – withdrawn. Initial reports suggest Holy See rejected on grounds envoy was divorced, but deeper dive reveals a more complex panorama.

Envoy in Buenos Aires

Foreign Ministry withdraws 'special' status of Guaidó's envoy in Argentina

07-01-2020 16:10 Government officials retract "special mission" status granted to Elisa Trotta Gamus, who was feted by former president Mauricio Macri as opposition leader's ambassador in Buenos Aires.

DIPLOMATIC SPAT

Bolivia's interim government expels Mexico ambassador, two Spanish diplomats

30-12-2019 14:29 Bolivia to expel Mexico's ambassador and two Spanish diplomats, escalating a dispute over an alleged attempt to extract an ex-government aide.

DIPLOMATIC SPAT

Mexico vows to take Bolivia to court over Embassy spat

26-12-2019 15:19 Government to take Bolivia to the International Court of Justice over what it calls harassment of its diplomatic mission in La Paz.

DIPLOMATIC SPAT

Chile tells Argentina not to comment on 'internal policy situations'

24-12-2019 09:41 Foreign Ministry in Santiago contacts Felipe Solá to complain about comments made by Alberto Fernández, after Peronist leader highlights number of those arrested during protests in neighbouring country.

INAUGURATION

Trump's envoy skips inauguration over presence of Maduro minister

11-12-2019 08:53 Top adviser Mauricio Claver-Carone flew to Buenos Aires – but decided not to attend Alberto Fernández’s inauguration after learning that a minister from Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro would be attending.

ARGENTINA-BRAZIL RELATIONS

Daniel Scioli: I’ll de-escalate tensions with Bolsonaro

10-12-2019 10:49 Argentina's next ambassador to Brazil vows support for Lula will not ruin the relationship between the two countries, as both nations will aim for a pragmatic relationship.

by Perfíl/ Rosario Ayerdi

Miguel Díaz-Canel

Cuban leader Díaz-Canel arrives in Argentina ahead of inauguration

09-12-2019 14:56 The first international leader to arrive in Buenos Aires for Tuesday's ceremonies is Miguel Díaz-Canel. Others will soon follow.

A DIPLOMATIC APPROACH

Walking the walk and talking the talk in Latin America

06-12-2019 07:00 A closer look at the US and Chinese diplomatic presence in the Americas, with the region gripped by social and political turmoil.

by Tomás Brockenshire

TRANSITION 2019

Fernández eyes up diplomatic appointments, with Scioli set for Brazil

27-11-2019 17:52 Former presidential candidate and Buenos Aires Province governor – who famously lost to President Macri in the 2015 election – set to head to Brasilia in diplomatic shake-up.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Economy in mind, Bolsonaro changes tack and cozies up to China

13-11-2019 12:38 Gone is last year’s fiery campaign trail rhetoric about China being a rapacious power intent on exploiting Brazilian resources. China is, after all, Brazil’s biggest trading partner.

TRANSITION 2019

Alberto Fernández has ‘splendid’ talk with France's Macron

10-11-2019 07:57 Incoming leader has telephone conversation with French president Emmanuel Macron lasting almost an hour.

signs from Washington

US tells Fernández it expects him to 'uphold commitments' in IMF deal

31-10-2019 09:56 US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tells incoming government that Washington expects Argentina to uphold its commitments laid out in IMF loan package.

VENEZUELANS IN ARGENTINA

Venezuelans in Argentina flee one crisis and now fear another

25-10-2019 09:37 Venezuelan who emigrated to Argentina fears that a victory by Peronist leader Alberto Fernández this weekend would deliver a crisis like the one back home.

DIPLOMACY

Argentina formally recognises envoy of Venezuela's Guaidó's as ambassador

15-10-2019 09:38 Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie designates Elisa Trotta as the "maximum authority of Venezuela in Argentina," officially confirming her as ambassador.

BLOOMBERG

Eurnekián warns Alberto Fernández against closer ties with China

18-09-2019 15:16 “Turning our back to the US again and seeking an alliance with China to get funds would be a big mistake,” said Eduardo Eurnekián, the chairman of Corporación América

DIPLOMACY

Alberto Fernández renews contact with key foreign embassiess

17-09-2019 17:30 Frente de Todos presidential frontrunner and his team of advisers look to renew contact with key foreign embassies and diplomats, including the United States, the United Kingdom and members of the European Union.

by Aurelio Tomás

DIPLOMACY

Japanese Embassy welcomes new ambassador to Argentina

05-09-2019 19:08 Takahiro Nakamae, who replaces former ambassador Noriteru Fukushima, presented diplomatic credentials to Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie on Wednesday.

by James Grainger

DIPLOMACY

Brazil's Bolsonaro 'considering own son for US ambassador post'

12-07-2019 14:02 The outspoken Brazilian leader said he’s considering the cost-benefit of the decision and cited his son's friendship with the children of President Trump.

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Macri, Bolsonaro: Signing of EU-Mercosur free-trade deal is 'imminent'

06-06-2019 15:31 Controversial Brazilian leader visits Argentina for the first time as president, as protesters take to streets. Talks with President Macri focus on Mercosur, boosting respective economies and Venezuela.

TRUMP IN LONDON

Trump promises 'phenomenal' trade deal with Britain during state visit

04-06-2019 15:42 As a big balloon of a nappy-wearing baby Trump floated over a rally that blocked central London traffic, the US leader heaped praise on outgoing PM Theresa May – and scorn on opposition Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.