MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina replaces ambassador Argüello by an economist and trade expert

Cecilia Nahón, close friend of Kicillof and next ambassador in Washington

The Argentine Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that President Cristina Fernández has decided to appoint Cecilia Nahón as Argentine ambassador to the United States, replacing Jorge Arguello in Washington DC.

Nahón, 39, had until now been working as a Secretary of International Economic Relations at the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

Argüello has been appointed as the new ambassador to Portugal, for which he is to be relocated to Lisbon.

Ms Nahón is a member of the Cenda think-tank (Centre of Studies for the Development of Argentina), from which have come some of the members of the Cristina Fernandez administration.

She is a personal friend of Axel Kicillof, the Deputy Economy minister who has a growing influence in the interventionist orientation of the Argentine administration. Apparently they belonged to the same militant students’ group while at university. Kicillof is said to prefer a blend of Keynes and Marx in political economics.

Ms Nahón is married to an Aerolineas Argentinas manager, Sergio Garcia Gomez and they have two children.

The new ambassador has an Economics degree from the University of Buenos Aires; a Master in Economic Development from the London School of Economics and currently is also involved in teaching and research at the Latinamerican faculty of Social Sciences, FLASCO.

According to political sources Ms Nahón played an active part in the defence of Argentine protectionist measures strongly criticized by other members of the World Trade Organization. She is also part of the team that regularly negotiates trade issues with Brazil.

The new ambassador in Portugal, Argüello while in the US had to endure several tension episodes with the hedge funds that claim millions of dollars from Argentina. The situation has been postponed until February following the ruling of a New York Appeals Court.

Argüello before becoming ambassador in Washington was the head of the Argentine mission before the United Nations.