MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK appoints new ambassador to Argentina in the Bicentenary year of diplomatic relations

Cairns joined the Foreign Office in 1993 and has held positions in London, Geneva, and Tokyo

The new British Ambassador to Argentina, David Cairns, presented his credentials on Thursday to Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein at the Palacio San Martín. Both officials reviewed the state of bilateral relations and highlighted the upcoming visit to Buenos Aires by the UK’s Minister for Business and Trade, Sir Chris Bryant, as a sign of Britain’s commitment to cooperation in trade and investment.

“I am deeply honored to represent my country in Argentina, especially in the year of the Bicentenary of our diplomatic relations,” said Cairns. “Over these 200 years we have cultivated cooperation in areas as diverse as trade, politics, science, and culture, and that is now part of our identities as Britons and Argentines. I look forward to deepening those ties and supporting what is clearly a priority for our Prime Minister and your President: growth and prosperity.”

The diplomat also thanked Argentina’s Minister of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona, for his recent trip to London and Cambridge to take part in a symposium on economic crimes.

Cairns joined the Foreign Office in 1993 and has held positions in London, Geneva, and Tokyo. He served as UK Ambassador to Sweden from 2015 to 2019 and, after a period in the private sector, returned to the diplomatic service this year to succeed Kirsty Hayes in Buenos Aires.

The appointment comes in a symbolic year: in 1825 the two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, which marked the formal beginning of their diplomatic ties. Cairns stressed that strengthening economic cooperation will be a central focus of his tenure.