MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“A great day for relations with Latinamerica”

Ambassador A. Wayne

With President Barack Obama's administration a “new chapter opens and a new relation with Latinamerica begins” said on Tuesday US ambassador in Argentina Anthony Wayne during a conference in Buenos Aires.

Wayne, a career diplomat, invited Argentine political and business leaders and media representatives to watch President Obama taking office ceremony and made a brief speech, taking questions, on the significance of the incoming administration in the current world political and economic circumstances. "With President Obama a new chapter opens and a new relation with Latinamerica begins", underlined Ambassador Wayne. "Although there will be continuity in the US foreign policy changes will be significant and this is clear" he added. More specifically he said Argentina had been mentioned by President Obama "as a country which can contribute with achievements to the coming Summit of the Americas scheduled for next April in Trinidad Tobago". Wayne said that presidential transitions, particularly after eight years and with the incoming administration from another party, usually take time, "so the new team will not be at full speed immediately". In fact the current Under Secretary for Hemispheric Affairs Thomas Shannon has been requested to continue on the job until the summit when president Obama will be meeting his Latinamerican and Caribbean counterparts, plus visiting the area for the first time in his life. "Our idea is to continue working closely for cooperation among our countries and so be able to solve those priority issues which make to relations between Argentina and the United States". He ended saying that "today is a great day for our country, but also a great day for relations with Latinamerica".