News of diplomacy

Bolsonaro extends olive branch to Biden on inauguration

Today 11:48 Bolsonaro was one of last world leaders to recognse Biden’s victory, and amplified Donald Trump's allegations that last year's US election had been rigged.

DIPLOMACY

Alberto Fernández to visit Chile's Piñera in Santiago this month

16-01-2021 06:56 President Alberto Fernández will travel to Santiago on January 26 to meet with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Brazil's Bolsonaro increasingly isolated as Trump departs

13-01-2021 23:32 When Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019 he nurtured relationships with other like-minded, far-right governments, but as the political tide turns he now finds himself and his country increasingly isolated.

BLOOMBERG

Merkel’s party must finally settle on a new leader and is torn

11-01-2021 08:19 Angela Merkel has been a pillar of stability for Germany and the western world for the better part of two decades, but the party that kept her in charge of Europe’s biggest economy is grappling with the power vacuum she’s leaving behind.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Dozens of nations miss deadline to boost climate ambition

05-01-2021 11:09 More than half the world's nations failed to submit upgraded commitments by year's end to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, straggling behind the schedule of accelerated climate ambitions set out in the Paris Agreement.

2020: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

2020: The year that was

02-01-2021 09:27 Economic crisis, rising poverty and unemployment, debt talks, creditors, the IMF, wealth tax, squatters, a police mutiny, the failed appropriation of Vicentin, alleged AFI espionage, ‘lawfare,’ corruption, legalised abortion, diplomacy, disappearances, the death of Diego Maradona… a lot happened in Argentina over the past 12 months, but it was all overshadowed by Covid-19.

by Michael Soltys

DIPLOMACY

Ecuador angered by CFK's 'intervention' into 'domestic affairs'

09-12-2020 18:33 Ecuador's Foreign Ministry protests "inopportune statements" made by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, after Argentina's vice-president expressed concern over a presumed lack of democracy in the country.

FOREIGN POLICY

Argentina: between Jair Bolsonaro, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping

05-12-2020 10:12 Following its dialogue with Brasilia and Washington, the Alberto Fernández administration needs to define a clear strategy with its main trade partners.

by Leandro Dario

DIPLOMACY

Kirsty Hayes named Britain's next ambassador to Argentina

04-12-2020 21:02 British Embassy confirms that Kirsty Hayes has been appointed as the next UK ambassador to Buenos Aires, replacing the departing Mark Kent.

by James Grainger

JUAN GUAIDÓ INTERVIEW

Leading poll boycott, Venezuela's Guaidó seeks more sanctions on Maduro

02-12-2020 00:12 Opposition leader Juan Guaidó is leading a boycott of Venezuela's legislative elections on Sunday and, despite losing political momentum, says he is still the person the international community needs to oust Nicolás Maduro's regime.

DIPLOMACY

President vows to improve ties with Brazil in call with Bolsonaro

30-11-2020 22:24 Almost a year after he first took office, President Alberto Fernández has finally spoken to Brazil leader Jair Bolsonaro.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

Without environmental guarantees, EU-Mercosur trade deal faces uncertain future

23-11-2020 15:51 Historic free-trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur regional bloc, announced more than a year ago after more than two decades of negotiations, stuck in limbo due to environmental concerns.

LATIN AMERICA

Fernández heads across River Plate to meet Lacalle Pou

20-11-2020 13:07 President Alberto Fernández crossed the River Plate on Thursday to meet up with his Uruguayan colleague Luis Lacalle Pou in the first meeting between the two leaders since the latter’s inauguration on March 1.

Budding bromance?

Bolsonaro beams as Putin praises his 'masculinity'

18-11-2020 18:33 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was left beaming Wednesday after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin praised his "masculinity" in a speech, triggering a flood of jokes online about a budding "bromance."

US ELECTION 2020

Biden heralds shift in Washington's strategy toward Venezuela

15-11-2020 08:03 Democratic leader's arrival in the White House could help pave the way for a political solution to crisis in Venezuela, with use of sanctions against social administration in Caracas likely to be more targeted.

US ELECTION 2020

Biden faces tall order reviving Washington's global role

14-11-2020 10:49 US President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to restore America’s moral authority in the world but after four years of norms-shattering by Donald Trump, he will have his work cut out for him.

BLOOMBERG - OPINION

Brazil’s Bolsonaro is Trump’s biggest orphan

09-11-2020 17:54 Bolsonaro is now Trump’s most prominent orphan in the Americas, and his politics by tantrum may ring hollow absent the hemisphere’s alpha provocateur.

by Mac Margolis

US ELECTION 2020

Germany chides Trump, asks him to let all US votes be counted

05-11-2020 18:51 Trump’s appeal to end the counting of ballots “doesn’t comply with the democratic culture” of the United States, says German foreign minister.

US ELECTION 2020

Latin America watches on as United States heads to the polls

31-10-2020 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

31-10-2020 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.