MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Important progress ahead under Lula, Argentine Ambassador foresees

Scioli underlined how he managed to overcome the political differences between Presidents Bolsonaro and Fernández to boost bilateral trade

Former Vice President and current Argentina's Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Scioli said this week that once President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva takes office on Jan. 1 there will be “very important advances” in bilateral relations.

Scioli's remarks came at a meeting hosted by Brazil's outgoing Vice President Hamilton Maourao at the Planalto Palace, during which Scioli's credentials were admitted.

“I shared the ceremony with the ambassador of Mexico, Laura Esquivel, and other ambassadors. In this way, we ambassadors are officialized to fully perform our responsibilities and also to participate, next January 1, in the inauguration of President Lula da Silva,” Scioli said on Twitter.

The former governor of Buenos Aires, who is serving his second term as Argentine diplomatic representative in that country, said that “the main objective is an increasingly deeper integration with Brazil.” He also foresaw “very important advances” once the former two-time President is back in office.

“He has a great personal relationship with [Argentine Vice President] Cristina [Fernández de Kirchner, CFK],” Scioli said about Lula.

Scioli also said he foresaw new challenges coming up from Lula's third presidency and praised the Workers' Party leader for his strong commitment to integration and his “privileged” relationship with Argentina.

“In this international context of globalization crisis we have to strengthen the region and deepen more and more this strategic alliance between Argentina and Brazil, towards this agreement we move forward,” Scioli explained.

“Great opportunities” are ahead for both countries, the former powerboat racer also pointed out.

“Brazil needs the competitive gas that Argentina will have when we finish the gas pipeline to export more and more gas,” he added.

Both countries are “working on value chains in the automotive, naval, metal-mechanic, footwear, science and technology industries and integrated tourist circuits,” Scioli also said while insisting that “Brazil and Argentina together are a food and energy power.”

The ambassador also highlighted the fact that carmakers in Brazil were interested in the growing demand for lithium, copper, and minerals used for the production of batteries and were already undertaking investments in that regard.

Argentina's embassy is expected to have a highly “commercial role” Scioli also pointed out. Argentina's diplomatic mission will sell the country's products in a coordinated fashion with “the ten consulates we have throughout Brazil,” Scioli announced.

In Scioli's view, Mercosur is poised to grow over the next few years and a larger Latin American integration is also possible, particularly in the fields of food, energy, minerals, and tourism.

Regarding his political future, Scioli said he will “do what I have to do” to help. He also underlined how during his first spell in Brasilia he managed to overcome the political differences between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Alberto Fernández and still move on to boost bilateral trade.

“The President summoned me for this mission and here I am, with great expectation to reach this great agreement with President Lula, an agenda that has different chapters of financial, energy, industrial, agri-food, tourism, health, and education integration. They are going to know the details of this program that has been finalized,” Scioli heralded.