MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tillerson praises Macri's leadership in the region in favor of democracy

During the forty minutes meeting Macri and Tillerson (L), the main issues of the Argentina/US bilateral agenda were addressed, said the Argentine Executive

President Mauricio Macri received US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday at the Olivos official residence. During the forty minutes meeting the main issues of the Argentina/US bilateral agenda were addressed, according to a release from the Argentine Executive office.

 The exchange included “matters related to issues of mutual economic and trade interest, as well as the political situation in the region, and the agenda for the G20 summit, which is scheduled to take place at the end of the year in Argentina”.

Macri and Tillerson also agreed that 2018 is a relevant year for the Americas because of the responsibility, at regional level, of Canada and Argentina leading the G7 and G20 groups respectively. Plus the significance of the VIII Americas summit to take place in Lima, Peru, next April 13/14.

Also attending the meeting at Olivos were cabinet chief Marcos Pe;a, foreign minister Jorge Faurie, Argentine ambassador in Washington, Fernando Oris de Roa and the deputy secretary of Global Affairs, Paola Di Chiaro.

The Secretary of State is in the first Latin American tour of president Donald Trump's administration which took off in Mexico, following a foreign policy speech on the region, which he delivered at the Texas University campus of Austin. Other calls of the tour include Peru, Colombia and Jamaica.

Tillerson arrived in Argentina on Saturday, more precisely in the Patagonia resort of Bariloche with his family, for a brief holiday, and on Sunday met with foreign minister Faurie at the San Martin Palace.

“Relations between Argentina and the United States are increasingly solid, and Argentina has an important role to play in the region under the leadership of president Macri”, Tillerson said at a press conference, adding that Argentina's leadership in the region is very much welcome and expected since “we can't stand idle at the growing restrictions imposed on democracy in Venezuela”.

The Secretary of State added the main issues of his visit to Argentina were trade, investments, and science and technology innovation.

“We're working for a more secure and prosperous continent and our solid relations are essential to this goal, we love to see Argentina's leadership in the region”, said Tillerson adding that with “president Macri Argentina has emerged as an ally in the defense of democracy and the rule of the law. We value the leadership and promotion of democracy by Argentina, particularly in the case of Venezuela”.

Following the meeting minister Faurie revealed that Tillerson had also expressed concern about the growing political and trade influence of Russia and China, and the close links between the drug gangs and terrorism, and the resulting complex criminality.

“We talked about different issues of the bilateral relation, in the political, economic fields and regional situation, and the visions we share” said Faurie, including deep concern over issues such as peace, democracy in the region, and the political situation in Venezuela.

More specifically on Venezuela, Faurie explained that the position of Macri is absolutely clear, “we don't recognize the political process and the authoritarian drift which has suffered Venezuela and we do not recognize the existence of the Constituent Assembly”

Regarding the more controversial issues of the bilateral trade relation such as beef and the bio-diesel, Faurie revealed that the two countries have been working on the issue for the last three months, and mentioned that US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, “renovated the disposition to continue examining possible solutions to the disputes”.