MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil and Argentina leaders ratify “strategic alliance”

Argentina and Brazil ratified their “strategic alliance” on Monday during a business seminar opened by Presidents Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Lula da Silva in Buenos Aires.

"Argentina and Brazil must not see each other as competitors", said the Brazilian president on a brief visit to Argentina together with 250 businessmen from his country's leading corporations. "Argentina-Brazil: A key productive alliance", was the logo of the seminar which convened Argentina's Industrial Union and Brazil's Sao Paulo Federation of Industries, the two countries main and most powerful industrial lobbies. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said both countries are going through "a very special moment of history" and praised what she described as "an unparalleled communion in the joint history of Argentina and Brazil" Lula da Silva addressed the Argentine president as "my dear friend Cristina" and said both countries are going "through an exceptional moment" and called on the business communities of both countries to consolidate and strengthen trade and investment links. "Brazil is the leading investor in Argentina; Brazilian corporations are committed to Argentina. That is why with President Cristina we are planning measures to ensure this virtuous relation with the creation of a sovereign fund and multiplying efforts to eliminate trade barriers to exports in the world", said Lula da Silva. The Brazilian leader's words were also an elliptical reference to the recent Doha round talks in Geneva where a last minute agreement, patiently elaborated and accepted by Brazil on farm import safeguards, was finally frustrated by intransigence from the US and India and to everybody's surprise was supported by Argentina, making it a major embarrassment for the Mercosur block alleged unity. The seminar was followed by sector rounds including automobiles, auto parts, capital goods, farm machinery, shoe-wear, ship building, software, chemical and petrochemical, oil and gas, public works, textiles, tourism, food, beverage, Biofuels, wood and furniture. The purpose of the seminar is to agree on sector cooperation, production integration and developing added value to stimulate competitiveness in international markets.