Commerce and Venezuela, axes of the meeting between Macri and Duque

After the meeting, the Chairs made a joint statement in which they both advocated "continuing to make progress in trade". Macri called the "Mercosur Convergence with the Pacific Alliance", while the Colombian said he wanted "that trade relations be a win-win situation" for both countries.

"We want to ratify the affection, the identity that unites us and continue to progress in the exchanges so that better opportunities are generated for our peoples.", said Macri.

For his part, Mr. Duque said it was "a real honor" for him to travel to Buenos Aires and stressed that the two nations "share historical ties" that "reaffirm and strengthen."

"Our business relationship is important but we want it to grow even bigger and we want it to be a victory for both Colombia and Argentina," he added.

The goal of both governments is to attract foreign investment. Although the Colombian economy has recovered since the Duque hypothesis, growth has not been in line with expectations and, for Colombian badysts, the lack of investment is for many.

The visit is set against the backdrop of a conflict scenario in Colombia. This is the crossing between the head of the Bank of the Republic of this country, Juan José Echavarría, and the Colombian Minister of Finance, Alberto Carrasquilla.

For the bank manager, the political polarization generated between supporters and detractors of the Duque government would create uncertainty for consumers. In response, Carrasquilla presented himself at the border post at the annual bankers convention in Cartagena: "It seems to me that a custom of central banks is being violated (…) which is limited to talking about monetary policy in public and to discuss absolutely all facets of the economy, all internally, but limit itself to its constitutional functions in this case ".

Venezuela

As expected, the presidents described the Venezuelan president as "dictator" and "usurper" Nicolás Maduro. "Venezuelans must regain freedom in their country," said Macri, while promising to do everything in his power to achieve this goal.

Duque said: "I want to acknowledge in your country the support you have given to the international trial against the dictator Maduro for the crimes he has committed in his country. I want us all to speed up the diplomatic siege to end the dictatorship"

Beyond the ads, the visit of the Colombian has a political character. On one side, President Mauricio Macri is seeking support from the region for the upcoming presidential elections and on the other, Duque aspires to support the control of Venezuelan immigration, whose main destination is the Colombia.

Duque, who described Macri as a "man of principle", said that in Latin America, there was not "a struggle between left and right", but rather between "demagogues and pedagogues ". "You told me that if I came to the presidency, I would direct the denunciations against Nicolás Maduro and he would keep his word," he said at the toast offered in his honor at the Casa Rosada Museum.

He recalled that Colombia had a bilateral trade with Venezuela of more than 7 billion dollars, "which has practically collapsed because of all the ravages of dictatorship". The president said that it was necessary to tackle the problem of migration.

"If we continue this fraternal policy of relations between Colombia and Venezuela and the Venezuelan people, the day of the beginning of the institutional transition and the recovery, Colombia will be one of the biggest actors of this reconstruction of Venezuela. "said the president. .

Duque's statements come just 72 hours after Jair Bolsonaro's visit, who similarly spoke about the political crisis in Venezuela.

Businessmen and floral offering

From the meeting between Mauricio Macri e Iván Duque The signing of agreements to promote cooperation in the following areas appeared: creative industries, fight against corruption, tourism and agriculture.

The day of the Colombian delegation began with a breakfast with local businessmen led by the Minister of Production and Labor, Dante Sica, at the Duhau-Park Hyatt Palace. "We met forty Argentinian businessmen to show them the business and investment opportunities in our country, the incentives we have put in place for the business sector and the institutional and macroeconomic stability of Colombia, "Duque said on his Twitter account.

After meeting with businessmen, Mr. Duque highlighted the "fundamental advances, despite challenges such as the Venezuelan migration crisis," and stressed that "an economy that resists a shock of this scale and is growing, showing resilience and adaptability ".

"We have challenges, of course we have them! The challenge of living, of course, from Venezuela's migratory shock: 1.5 million migrants in less than three years is undoubtedly a serious migration crisis," said the president. Duque, pointing out that the situation posed problems of employment.

However, he stressed that "when you see an economy that can withstand such a shock, grow and develop with fiscal responsibility, it shows the resilience and adaptability of the economy. Colombian economy ".

After that, the head of state participated with the Chancellor, Jorge Faurie, and the Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Fulvio Pompeo, at the traditional offering to General José de San Martín, on the square that carries his name, located in the El Retiro district. .

During the demonstration, protesters waited for Duque with posters that read "Colombia Without Asbestos", in reference to the bill that envisages the non-use of this material in construction and should be discussed this week. in Congress. from this country.

Duque arrived in the country Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Colombian delegation which includes the first Colombian lady, María Juliana Ruiz. Mauricio Macri and Juliana Awada entertained the couple during a dinner at Olivos Residence.