MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine FM meets with Chilean ambassador ahead of Boric's trip

Figueroa's appointment has caused controversy on both sides of the Andes

Argentina's Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero met Thursday with Chile's new Ambassador to Buenos Aires, ahead of President Gabriel Boric's visit next Sunday in his first trip abroad since taking office.

Cafiero welcomed Bárbara Figueroa, who presented her credentials together with some details regarding Boric's agenda for April 4 and 5.

“President Boric arrives Sunday evening”, Argentina's Presidential Spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti announced Thursday during her usual press conference at Casa Rosada.

Figueroa, 42, is a former union leader and Communist Party (PC) militant, who was chosen by Boric to succeed Nicolás Monckeberg, who had been appointed by former President Sebastián Piñera in January 2020.

The new ambassador used to chair the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Chile (CUT) between 2012 and 2021 and was also the national director and education officer of the Colegio de Profesores.

The appointment of the psychologist and philosophy teacher to the Buenos Aires embassy had sparked controversy among Chilean businessmen and parliamentarians, who underlined she was a career diplomat.

Cafiero and Figueroa discussed Boric's first international tour and the fact that the first destination will be Argentina is no coincidence. After the presidential elections of December 19, 2021, Alberto Fernández contacted Boric to congratulate him on his victory. During that conversation, Boric told Fernández about his intentions to travel to Argentina on his first international visit.

Boric's trip “opens an opportunity to resume with dynamism the bilateral agenda of friendship, cooperation, and integration,” according to Argentina's Foreign Ministry.

At age 35, Boric became Chile's youngest president ever and has formed a cabinet of mostly women and young leaders. Boric will be accompanied to Argentina by a huge entourage that includes ministers, the speakers of both Houses of Congress as well as a group of lawmakers, judges, businessmen, and reporters.

The idea is “to advance in an agenda of issues that we believe are new, such as environment, technology, defense, and foreign trade,” according to Casa Rosada sources.

Boric is expected to land at the Ezeiza Airport on Sunday at 7 pm, in what will mark another anniversary of the “Abrazo de Maipú” (Maipú Hug) between Argentine national hero José San Martín and Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins.