MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina urges industry and business to cut imports from the UK

Industry minister Debora Giorgi, trade with countries that respect “territorial sovereignty”

The Buenos Aires media, basically the ambito.com site reports that Argentine industry and business leaders were contacted by the Ministry of Industry which tried to persuade them from buying British supplies.

It is estimated that twenty CEO from national and international corporations were contacted and most of those contacts allegedly “involved Minister Debora Giorgi herself”.

Later statements from Ministry of Industry sources fully confirmed the initiative in line with the methodology long used by members from President Cristina Fernandez administration to lobby, and is come cases threaten, verbally the industry and business communities regarding prices and lately imports.

The initiative was seen as yet another message to the UK, as the diplomatic dispute over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty continues.

Apparently these companies were selected by the Argentine government since in the last year their purchase volume from the UK increased significantly. So they now have been urged to replace their purchases with supplies from other countries.

Industry sources confirmed that their goal is to stop Argentina’s decreasing trade surplus with England and to create a trade relationship with nations that respect “territorial sovereignty”.

“It is fundamental for Argentina to determine its strategic trade partners, and at the same time, send a clear signal to those who are still using colonialism as a way of gaining access to other people’s natural resources,” ministry sources said.