Officials at NYC roadshow tells investors Argentina is ‘fertile ground’

Argentina’s government says the nation “is fertile ground for any investment imaginable and that firms should jump on board to benefit from the “revolutions” that are shaking up key national industries.

Speaking at the ‘Argentina Week’ promotional event in New York on Thursday, Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni said the nation is now “free from the political constraints” that were previously “repressing” opportunities for investors.

“Over the next few years, the areas of mining, energy, knowledge industry, banking, capital markets, technology and agribusiness will undergo revolution after revolution until they reach global standards,” pitched Adorni.

"Argentina is fertile ground for any investment imaginable,” he continued.

Argentina Week was a three-day roadshow organised by the government in New York. At a series of events, government officials, provincial governors and local business leaders pitched the nation to potential investors.

“This event was a demonstration of Argentina's ability to join the world. A country that is once again expanding its borders internationally, but also locally. A federal country where all the provinces that today seem withered are once again flourishing, free from the political constraints that, until now, or until we took office, had been repressing them,” said Adorni.

“The reforms are underway, the invitation is very clear: join us in this new stage. This event is not a point of arrival, it is only the beginning," he concluded. 

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno – who went viral online for a speech delivered in excellent English – also described Argentina as a land of opportunity for the business-minded.

"After two years of profound transformations and building solid macroeconomic foundations, today it is positioned as one of the great investment opportunities globally,” he declared.

"Our country's competitive advantages in strategic sectors of high demand allow us to position ourselves as a reliable partner in the reconfiguration of global value chains," Quirno added.

Under attack

The officials delivered their remarks at an event on the final day of the three-day event in the United States, which was opened on Tuesday by President Javier Milei with a typically controversial speech.

Formally opening the roadshow on Tuesday, Milei, 55, took aim at two top business leaders: Paolo Rocca, the Italian‑Argentine billionaire head of the multinational industrial conglomerate Techint and Javier Madanes Quintanilla, an Argentine industrialist whose business empire includes the now‑closed tyre maker Fate and stakes in aluminium production.

The President described them as “empresarios prebendarios” – implying they profit from privileged access and government connections.

“We have bad people, but also people who are creative when it comes to doing harm,” Milei said. “Everyone knows that in recent weeks I’ve had open confrontations with Paolo Rocca, with Javier Madanes Quintanilla and with the textile sector, but since no-one has put forward a visible face, I can’t attack them directly.”

Elaborating on his critique, Milei accused them of colluding with “thieving politicians” and of having “attacked many Argentines” through graft and protectionism.

“Rocca and Madanes, in collusion with thieving politicians, attacked many Argentines – but that’s over. The era of corrupt politics is over. Who is in favour of corruption? These are uncomfortable questions to ask, but I’m willing to ask them for a better Argentina,” said Milei.

Government sources played down the idea that Milei’s rebuke would put off foreign investors. 

“It didn’t really resonate with the Americans. He referred to two specific cases merely as examples. They listened, but it is essentially a matter of local politics,” said one member of the delegation who travelled to New York.

Milei also highlighted his political and economic alignment with the United States and Israel while in New York. Defending their actions in the Middle East, the head of state described Iran as an "enemy" of Argentina and that he is “proud” to be “the most Zionist President in the world.”

Speaking at Yeshiva University in New York before a mostly Jewish orthodox audience Monday, the La Libertad Avanza leader said that “we are going to win” as he referenced the ongoing war against Iran.

"They have bombed us twice, once at the AMIA [Jewish community centre] and once at the Israeli Embassy. Therefore, let's say they are our enemies. I also have a strategic alliance with the United States and Israel," Milei said, referencing two lethal bombings in Buenos Aires in 1994 and 1992, respectively.

‘Positive’

During his speech to investors, President Milei defended his aggressive economic liberalisation agenda, including the removal of import barriers. 

His remarks come amid broader tensions between his administration and Argentina’s industrial elite over trade policy, competition with foreign firms, and the economic viability of large domestic manufacturers in an increasingly open market.

Government officials, speaking off the record to local media, said they were satisfied with the “positive” event and promised future editions would follow. 

They noted in particular the show of support Milei received from provincial governors, 11 of whom – from different political backgrounds – travelled to New York for the roadshow. They were Marcelo Orrego (San Juan), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), Gustavo Sáenz (Salta), Claudio Vidal (Santa Cruz), Rolando Figueroa (Neuquén), Martín Llaryora (Córdoba), Alberto Weretilneck (Río Negro), Alfredo Cornejo (Mendoza), Ignacio Torres (Chubut) and Juan Pablo Valdés (Corrientes). 

“Each of them acknowledges that they have found in the government a guarantor of the conditions that allow the provinces to monetise the projects developed within their territories,” one libertarian source told the Noticias Argentinas news agency.

Officials said the roadshow had showcased government reforms and promoted investment opportunities in strategic sectors such as energy, mining, infrastructure and technology.
 
“It allowed us to speak with creditors and markets, and to bring together debt funds, international banks and credit-rating agencies at the same event,” a source said, noting “considerable interest.”

Casa Rosada officials are hopeful foreign investment will follow.

During the week-long roadshow, Latin American ecommerce giant Mercado Libre announced it would allocate US$3.4 billion this year to expanding operations in Argentina. The investment will lead to the creation of 1,900 new jobs, said the firm.

The success of the event was overshadowed, however, by domestic developments. Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni, one of public faces of the event, found himself in the spotlight for unwanted reasons when it emerged that his wife Bettina Angeletti had travelled with Argentina’s delegation on the presidential plane. 

– TIMES/NA/AFP