MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

French President Macron supports Argentina regarding IMF, Paris Club talks

Macron told Fernández “France is on your side.”

Argentine President Alberto Fernández Wednesday expressed his gratitude to his French colleague Emmanuel Macron for the latter's support with regards to debt renegotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Paris Club.

During a joint statement on the front steps of the French presidential palace, Macron said he looked forward to a prompt “agreement to establish economic stability” and told Fernández “France is on your side.”

Macron also highlighted the importance of speaking with Fernández about “Argentina's financial commitments, on which President Fernández has worked with me.”

Fernández admitted to it: “I have spoken with Macron all the time, after the first visit” to Paris, to “advance in the common vision that the present calls for ... in a difficult moment” that they had to live, “specifically during the previous administration of former US President Donald Trump. ”I found in President Macron a great friend“, who has ”a lot of work“ ahead of him.

Macron also pointed out that ”we want Argentina to speak constructively with the creditors of the Paris Club and we will continue this work together because it is very important for the entire population.“

Fernández acknowledged that ”France has always accompanied us.“ And he went on: ”We have enormous expectations and a lot of work ahead to do with Macron.”

The Argentine President will participate in the Forum of the Generation of Equality (from June 30 to July 2), convened by Macron and “where we are going to promptly address the issue of gender equality,” Fernández explained.

“We have always worked so that the Paris Agreement deepens, and your concern for the development of the Amazon is the same as we have,” observed the Argentine president, calling for a global effort to “end deforestation, take care of green spaces. and understand once and for all that the world breathes through the forests and native jungles.”

In turn, Macron defended the Argentine position so that there is “a solidarity treatment of the pandemic”, recalling that vaccines against the coronavirus “are insufficient in southern countries.”

Before meeting Macron, Fernández had headed a meeting at the Argentine embassy with businessmen such as Arnaud Breuillac (Total), Laurent Dassault (Dassault), Eric Scotto (Akuo Energy), Christel Bories (Eramet), David Corchia (Total Eren), Raphael Latz (Louis Dreyfus Company), Jean-Louis Girodolle (Lazard) and Facundo Etchebehere (Danone).

Also in Paris and a meeting with Argentine journalists, Fernández addressed the controversial statement from the Argentine Foreign Ministry regarding Israel's alleged “disproportionate use of force” in Gaza but without condemning the Hamas attacks: “The position of Argentina on the conflict between Israel and Palestine respects the position of the United Nations”, assured Fernández, specifying that “we read the UN communiqué, and on its international position we wrote ours.”