MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Buenos Aires Mayor has lunch with former US President Clinton

Rodríguez Larreta is clearly projecting himself as a presidential candidate for 2023.

Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta Sunday held lunch with former United States President Bill Clinton in New York over the weekend, during which they discussed bilateral ties between the two countries as well as other world issues.

Larreta is on a US Tour many believe to be a build-up for his presidential bid in 2023.

The meeting was reportedly brokered by Argentine businessman and Clinton Foundation director Rolando González Bunster, who befriended the former Governor of Arkansas while at Georgetown University, in Washington DC, and was also presented Sunday.

Rodríguez Larreta reportedly told Clinton that Argentina was a regional ally of the United States and assured him that he intended to make this bond increasingly closer.

According to press reports, Clinton pointed out that Argentina was a country with great opportunities ahead and highlighted its competitiveness in food production and know-how services.

The geopolitical impact of China in the new state of world affairs was also discussed, with a special focus on the importance of doing business with the Asian giant.

The Bill Clinton Foundation seeks to promote the sustainable development agenda through coordinated work between governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations.

The former President described the fight against climate change as a “global commitment”, and highlighted Larreta's leadership in this regard from a metropolitan level.

Larreta also brought up his meeting last Friday with John Kerry, the US Special Climate Envoy. The Buenos Aires chief executive pledged to cut down emissions by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050 through the newly-launched City Climate Action Plan.

Larreta made it clear he seeks to consolidate Buenos Aires as the region's leading capital in the fight against climate change while at the same time recover international tourists and students following a sharp contraction since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic under the motto of “reactivation of the visitor's economy, the climate change agenda and the promotion of investments in the sectors of talent and innovation.”

Clinton and Larreta also talked about the former's 1997 visit to Buenos Aires to meet with then-President Carlos Saúl Menem.

During his meeting with former Secretary of State Kerry, Larreta discussed the City's participation in COP26, which will take place between October 31 and November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Larreta is also making arrangements for next year's C40 Mayors Summit to be held in October 2022 in Buenos Aires.

“We are reopening the City to the world, inviting tourists, investors and students to reconnect with Buenos Aires and with everything it has to offer, while we continue to reaffirm our global role in caring for the environment and in the fight against change. climate” said the Buenos Aires Mayor before departing. “We are going to continue working together with the international community to face the challenges that the pandemic leaves us and together build a better future for all,” he added.

“Mayors are on the front lines of responding to climate change. Without the commitment of mayors and governors, it is not possible to carry out the climate change agenda,” Kerry reportedly told Larreta Friday.

During his US tour, Larreta also met with businessmen and banking executives to discuss future joint undertakings.