MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macron invited Alberto Fernandez to Paris, sometime before 10 December

“We had a splendid conversation,” Fernandez said during the opening session of the Puebla Group meeting in Buenos Aires

Sometime before 10 December, when Argentine elected president Alberto Fernandez takes office, and agendas permitting, he will be travelling to France to meet with Emmanuel Macron, with whom he had an hour long conversation, according to Argentine sources.

Fernandez said he spoke by telephone for almost an hour over the weekend with French president Macron and discussed issues across South America, including the release from jail of Brazil’s former leader, the current situation in Bolivia, and Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, apparently no friend of the two.

Bolsonaro is no fan of Fernandez, whom he has criticized as the return of the red tide, while Macron also remembers some non pleasant remarks from the Brazilian leader towards French First Lady, Brigitte.

“We had a splendid conversation,” Fernandez said during the opening session of the Puebla Group meeting in Buenos Aires. “We have spoken about the problems of the continent,” including the return to politics of Brazil’s former president, Lula da Silva, after a high-profile court decision reversed rules for keeping convicts in jail.

Fernandez said the two leaders also discussed the situation in countries such as Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Venezuela, though he didn’t offer any details.

Argentina and France will discuss dates for a possible Fernandez visit to France, according to a Fernandez spokesman.

“They coincided in the need of closer links between Argentina and France, and also coincided in comments about Bolsonaro”.

Regarding Venezuela, “Alberto said something different has to be attempted, since everything done so far, has failed”

Apparently Macron was also interested in Argentina's latest financial measures and the clamp on dollar movements, which is affecting some French companies established in Argentina.

Fernandez was a speaker at the first meeting of the Puebla group, created in July to bring together left-wing leaders from the region.

“The continent needs the Puebla Group,” Fernandez said in his opening remarks. “Four years ago, we thought conservatism was here to stay in Latin America.”

Former presidents such as Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo, Uruguay's Jose Mujica are among the members of the self-described progressive group which discussed regional priorities during the weekend, including climate change, migration and growth.