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PRESIDENCY OF ECUADOR
President Guillermo Lasso arrived in Argentina this Sunday for his first official visit to the South American country, where he was received by Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero.
The official activity will begin today, when Lasso, accompanied by Cafiero, will place a floral offering at the monument to the Liberator General D. José de San Martín, located in the square in front of the Argentine Foreign Ministry building.
After the tribute, Lasso is expected to go to the Casa Rosada, headquarters of the Argentine Executive, to hold a working meeting with his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández.
One of the main objectives of this meeting, according to official sources, It will be to bring positions closer to the Government of Ecuador in matters of regional and hemispheric foreign policy.
In this sense, it is expected that the two presidents will talk in relation to the next Summit of the Americas and issues related to Argentina’s pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
We arrived in Argentina, where I have an extensive work agenda to strengthen relations with this wonderful country. I will tell you in the coming days the results of the visit and the good news for Ecuador! ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/kvOnPFYfC5
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) April 18, 2022
After the work meeting, both leaders will sign the Joint Presidential Statement and will provide a statement to the press.
The Argentine president will then offer a lunch in honor of the president of Ecuador and his entourage.
Lasso’s entourage is made up of Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín, who will sign an agreement on consular matters with his Argentine counterpart, Santiago Cafiero, and will hold a bilateral meeting, according to the Argentine Foreign Ministry in a statement.
The delegation of the Ecuadorian president is also made up of the Ministers of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment and Fisheries, Julio José Prado Lucio-Paredes, and of Telecommunications and the Information Society, Vianna Maino, who will hold bilateral meetings with their Argentine counterparts .
Prado Lucio-Paredes will meet with the Argentine ministers of Productive Development, Matías Kulfas, and of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Julián Domínguez, and in parallel Maino will meet with the president of the National Communications Entity, Claudio Ambrosini, detailed the Argentine Foreign Ministry .
As part of the visit to Argentina, Lasso will also visit the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty.
Subsequently, he will participate in meetings with Argentine businessmen and investors within the framework of the “Ecuador Open for Business” program.
According to official data, Argentine exports to Ecuador totaled 504 million dollars in 2021, while imports amounted to 313 million dollars, which shows a positive balance of more than 190 million dollars for the River Plate country.
Lasso began a trip through Argentina this Sunday that will culminate on Tuesday, when he will leave for Uruguay.
Meanwhile, this is the third visit by a Latin American leader to Argentina this month, after visits by Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Bolivian President Luis Arce.