Argentina and Spain They coincided this Monday in the “importance” to close soon the delayed agreement between the Mercosur and the European Union (EU)which accumulates more than two decades of negotiations.
That was the result of a meeting held today between the Argentine Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, and the Spanish ambassador to the South American country, María Jesús Alonso, according to sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship.
During the meeting, the head of the portfolio thanked the presence of King Felipe VI of Spain for the inauguration ceremony of the Argentine president, Javier Milei, on December 10, and referred to her Government’s interest in deepening the association. strategic that exists between both countries.
Alonso highlighted “the relevance that Spain gives to the Ibero-American Summits” and agreed with Mondino in “the importance of promptly concluding the negotiations of the MERCOSUR-European Union Agreement”, according to the Foreign Ministry statement.
In addition to talking about bilateral political dialogue and joint work “to share perspectives and deepen convergences in regional and multilateral forums”, trade relations occupied an important point in the talk.
Without a doubt, the new economic measures of the Milei Government and how they can facilitate investments and international trade were an important point of this day’s meeting.
According to data provided by the public business entity ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones at the end of 2023, Spain is the second external investor in Argentina, only surpassed by the United States.
In total, Spain’s gross investment in Argentina stood at 152 million dollars in 2022, a 35% less than in 2021 and a 92% below the 2019 figure, which shows a strong decline in recent years due to uncertainty in the country, with an interannual inflation of 211.4% at the end of 2023.
The number of exporters in the country has also fallen, which has gone from 6,618 in 2017 to 4,703 in 2022, and the number of Spanish companies present on Argentine soil, which has fallen one 55% since the covid-19 pandemic, to remain at 136 companies in 2022.
On the other hand, Argentina is the country where the largest Spanish community abroad is concentrated, with approximately half a million residents.
Source: Gestion
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