MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“We have an enormous future,” Argentine President says

The Argentine president claims his country has a future but JP Morgan warns it will not be as bright as he believes

Argentine President Alberto Fernández Monday said “Argentina is not the country without destiny that some people say it is.” He made those remarks during a celebration marking the national Flag Day holiday (commemoration of Flag creator General Manuel Belgrano's death on June 20, 1820).

Amid a tense calm in his standoff with hardline Kirchnerites, President Fernandez insisted that “I am sure that we have an enormous future; Argentina is not that country without destiny that some people are saying, Argentina is a country that wants to stand up. Argentina is a country that has suffered a thousand times. We are going to stand up once again, so that they can have, once and for all, the Homeland they deserve.”

By “they” Fernández meant a group of fourth-graders taking the customary pledge of allegiance to the flag.

Fernández also highlighted that Manuel Belgrano “was convinced that education was the future of the development of our homeland” and “that today we commemorate Belgrano's figure is something we should do today and every day, because these heroes that our homeland had are the example we should follow in times of great uncertainty that the world has experienced.”

The event was attended by Ministers Jaime Perczyk (Education) Tristán Bauer (Culture), and Jorge Taiana (Defense).

Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) was somewhere else, speaking before a group of labor unionists and launching her latest onslaught against the Government, thus confirming the splitting between her and the President ahead of the 2023 elections.

CFK is said to be gathering allies from within the Government ranks who wish to have a career in politics after 2023, while targetting Ministers Martín Guzmán (Economy) and Claudio Moroni (Labor), Central Bank CEO Miguel Pesce, Tax Bureau Chief Mercedes Marcó del Pont, and social leader Emilio Pérsico, who through the Evita Movement manages millions of dollars in welfare plans.

All of them have Alberto Fernández's full support, it was reported.

Meanwhile, Argentina's country risk index issued by JP Morgan surpassed 2000 points for the first time in two years. Argentina's risk stands at 2219 basic points, while Brazil's is 346 basis points and Uruguay 153 basis points.

Argentina's country risk had dropped to around 1000 points when the new bonds were issued in September 2020 after an agreement with international creditors.