MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina/Venezuela complement “food and energy” axis

Argentina and Venezuela are countries of “absolute and necessary complementation in the context of the main axis of the XXI century, food and energy” said Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Thursday following the signing of food for energy agreements with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Mrs. Kirchner is in Caracas for a one day long-planned visit looking to effectively exchange what both countries are short of, energy and food. Argentina with an economy growing for the fifth year running at an average 8%, but with limited investment in oil and gas exploration because of disputes with the industry over prices and windfall earnings, desperately needs to ensure energy for the coming winter. A heat wave this summer forced blackouts exposing Argentina's energy precarious situation. Venezuela since Chavez begun with his Socialist Bolivarian revolution to take over farmland and impose price controls, has seen food production plummet and basics as milk, bread, eggs and meat have virtually disappeared from groceries and supermarkets. The temporary closing of the border has aggravated the situation because Colombia is an important supplier of poultry and dairy produce. Mrs. Kirchner insisting on her "two axis" theory said that the exchange was not only at government level but also involved the private sector: a delegation of Argentine businessmen had come along to explore other opportunities along that path. Venezuela is a world energy power and Argentina can produce food "to feed 500 million people", said the Argentine president who underlined the need for Venezuela to be fully incorporated to the Mercosur group. President Chavez thanked Mrs. Kirchner for having signed the agreement and promised that "Argentina will have all the oil and gas it needs all along the XXI century". Chavez forecasted that the world will face a "food supply crisis" and admitted that Venezuela needs of Argentina "to ensure its food supply sovereignty". "I agree with the energy equation of Cristina, energy for food, now our commitment is to work together to ensure food and vital energy for both countries", he said. Chavez also had words of praise for Mrs. Kirchner and for the several times president and main leader of Argentina in the XXth century Juan Peron. "Let me recall a 1973 speech of General Peron, when he said that in 1949 when the first economic complementation treaty of Latinamerica was signed that '2000 will find us united or dominated'". The Venezuelan president said "I consider myself a true Peronist. I identify with that great man and his thinking that our countries must cease to be sweat shops for imperialism". Finally Chavez mentioned that back in 2004 he first met Cristina, now president, then First Lady, "but I think Nestor became president thanks to you; you have been fighting in politics for a long, long time".