MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macri anticipates “mature, constructive relations with the US” and pledges to strengthen Mercosur

“You are at home,” Macri told Obama and underlined his “very important leadership” in terms of a “green agenda”

Argentine president Mauricio Macri at the beginning of the press conference Wednesday midday in Casa Rosada (Government House), highlighted the visit of Barack Obama's to Argentina and said “a stage of mature, intelligent and constructive relations is beginning.”

 “You are at home,” Macri told Obama before dozens of journalists from around the world. Macri underlined his counterpart’s “very important leadership” in terms of a “green agenda” and reaffirmed Argentina’s commitment to “lead the fight against the climate change in the 21st century.”

“You have emerged proposing great changes and proved it was possible,” stressed the Argentine leader who also expressed his solidarity to the family of the victims of Tuesday attacks in Brussels which left dozens of dead.

”I want to take a minute to share this grief all the inhabitants of this planet have felt after this cruel and devastating new attack,” he stated.

“We have begun to consider a path to open agendas” between both nations and assured he seeks to “strengthen the Mercosur first to reach a wider agreement late,” he added when asked about a possible bilateral free trade deal.

On his side president Obama praised the “constructive approach” of the Macri administration to solve the 15-year legal battle against holdout creditors.

Asked specifically about the deal the US leader considered that talks with creditors “open the possibility to a conflict resolution.” A solution would help “stabilize Argentina’s international financial relations.”

The two leaders also revealed some of the issues they discussed during their previous hour long meeting among which was the “commitment” of both administrations regarding respect for human rights. The statement came a day before Argentina mark the 40th anniversary of the civil-military dictatorship that killed and disappeared an estimated 30,000 people.

“Hours before we commemorate 40 years since the military coup, you, accepting our request, agreed to declassify the files. We are thankful for that gesture (…). We have the right to know the truth,” Macri said as he referred to the decision by Washington to declassify US military files on Argentina’s darkest period.

Macri said the decision “is a very important demonstration that if we talk with other countries, with respect and seriousness, countries will cooperate.”

On his behalf, Barack Obama renewed “our commitment” with the respect of human rights, recognizing the “courage of the people that opposed to the abuses” committed by the military junta that ruled the country between 1976 and 1983.

Obama as well confirmed he will be visiting the Memory Memorial on Thursday 24 March to pay tribute to the victims of the bloody regime. However Obama also praised the role played by former president Jimmy Carter who in the seventies put complying with human rights at the center of US foreign policy (above combating communism and Soviet advances), which became a beacon of hope for Argentina.

The two leaders also revealed having addressed Brazil's political crisis and said they hoped it could be effectively resolved.

“Their democracy is sufficiently mature, their systems of laws and structures I think are strong enough that this will get resolved in a way that allows Brazil ultimately to prosper and be the significant world leader that it is,” Obama said.

Macri underlined the significance of Brazil for Argentina's economy and Mercosur integration. “We hope this situation is rapidly overcome by Brazilians in the framework of Brazilian institutions because Brazil is too important for Argentina and the continent”

Finally Obama referring to the Brussels attacks said the world must unite to fight terrorism and “the United States can and will defeat Islamic State, US President Barack Obama”

He added the United States “will continue to offer any assistance that we can to help investigate these attacks and bring the attackers to justice.

”We will also continue to go after ISIL aggressively until it is removed from Syria and removed from Iraq and is finally destroyed,” the US president emphasized.