On the 25th of May this year, Argentina celebrates the 213th Anniversary of the May Revolution
By Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Argentine Republic, Carlos María Vallarino
On the 25th of May this year, Argentina celebrates the 213th Anniversary of the May Revolution, that fundamental day when our country began, back in 1810, to proclaim to the whole world its desire to take the road of sovereignty, development and international commitment as a new Nation.
Back in the present day, I’m proud to say that the bilateral relationship between Argentina and Romania can be described as excellent, and has blossomed further in recent years. Close political, commercial and cultural ties make our bilateral cooperation dynamic and fruitful.
And these bilateral relations have a long history. The first official contact between Argentina and Romania was in 1880. In 1882, the first Romanian Consul was appointed in Buenos Aires, and in 1887, the first Argentinean Consul was designated in Bucharest.
We can also be very satisfied with our achievements at many levels, with a significant number of bilateral agreements in several areas. We continue to make progress in our talks in very important fields: Culture, Social Security, Agriculture, Security, Environment, Satelites and Nuclear.
The excellent political cooperation between our two countries was reinforced this year on April 25th, when the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, paid an official visit to Argentina, and met our President, Alberto Fernández. The objective of this official meeting was both the identification of joint projects for the purpose of improving political dialogue, as well as economic cooperation, scientific-technological development and agreements between universities from our two countries.
On this occasion, President Iohannis affirmed Romania’s readiness to collaborate with Argentina to promote common foreign policy objectives. The agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Union was also highlighted, as both countries “have the will to make it happen, because they believe it is useful”, as President Iohannis said.
As well as deepening the bi-regional partnership with the European Union, bilateral meetings in Argentina also addressed the need for multilateral cooperation to combat the negative effects of the pandemic on sustainable economic growth, the challenges and opportunities for cooperation in different regional formats specific to each side, and the importance of jointly upholding the Rule of Law, the values of democracy and Human Rights in the global order.
During the official consultations, President Klaus Iohannis and President Alberto Fernandez also assessed possibilities to consolidate and expand cooperation in areas of great importance to both countries, namely: the economy, trade, energy, software, cyber-security, agriculture, education, the environment and promotion of climate change education, responding to emergency situations and maritime security.
I am very proud to share that two bilateral cooperation agreements were signed during the President´s visit to Argentina. One in the field of emergency situations, between the Argentinian Agency for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance – the White Helmets – and the Department for Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Interior of Romania. The other agreement is on agricultural research and cooperation between the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences of Romania (ASAS).
But the agenda of high-level contact does not end here. On the 27th of June, bilateral Political Consultations will be held in Bucharest, on which occasion a delegation from Argentina, led by our Undersecretary for Foreign Policy Claudio Rozencwaig, will travel to Romania.
On the commercial front, we are still working to increase our bilateral trade (which currently stands at approximately 240 million dollars), and I am happy to say that real progress is being made on both sides. We have recently received a delegation of Argentine producers of agricultural machinery, where there is tremendous potential for deeper ties. And in just a couple of weeks, Romanian companies in this sector will visit the “Agroactiva” Expo in the Province of Santa Fe, one of Argentina´s main agricultural hubs.
Looking forward, this revitalization of political dialogue and the intensification of contact between our ministries and agencies, as well as a renewed interest in new business opportunities, give me hope for a long-awaited boost to bilateral relations between Argentina and Romania.
This year we celebrated our National Day together with local authorities and officials from the highest levels of several branches of the Romanian Government in a solemn ceremony that included the words of Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Diplomatic Strategies Traian Hristea. The celebration took place in the context of a substantial revitalization of bilateral relations, taking into account both the recent visit to the Republic of Argentina of the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and of the Political Consultations to be held in Bucharest on 27 June this year.
Since I am also Chargé d´Affaires a.i. to the Republic of Moldova, I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the friendship between our two nations, and to mention that this year we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.
To conclude, this special day is also about togetherness, cooperation for the common good, and shared values. This is why our mutual commitment to further strengthening and enhancing the excellent relations that Argentina and Romania today enjoy, is both a duty and a source of pride.
The article was published in the printed edition of the Nine O’Clock newspaper dated May 25, 2023
