Tension in Mercosur: “If we are a burden, let them take another ship,” said Alberto Fernández

Alberto Fernández leads a meeting of Mercosur. Credits: NA.

At the end of the Mercosur summit to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the regional bloc, Alberto Fernandez left a disturbing message under the watchful eye of his peers in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay.

This was after the differences between the Argentine government and the administrations of Lacalle Pou (Uruguay) were again revealed; Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil) and Miguel Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), who raised the need to “make more flexible” the dynamics of the bloc for greater global integration, something Alberto Fernández never mentioned in his post.

“Mercosur cannot be a burden and that is why we have discussed with all the presidents the need for flexibility. Uruguay needs to move forward in the international concert, ”said Lacalle Pou.

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The message discomfort generated at Alberto Fernández, that before finishing the summit I answer. “It is essential that we all feel that we are brothers. If we’ve become something else, a burden I’m sorry, the truth is, we didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, because also a burden is something that makes you throw yourself out of a boat and the easiest way is to go down if this load is heavy. I stress that we are putting an end to these ideas which contribute so little to unity, ”said the President.

And continued: “We don’t want to be anybody’s ballast, if we’re ballast let them take another ship, but we’re nobody’s ballast.It is an honor for me to be part of Mercosur, it is an honor to work with you ”.

The president’s sentence also comes against a backdrop of tension in the region, following Argentina’s withdrawal from the Lima Group, in a clear message of support for the administration of Nicolás Maduro.

Speech by Alberto Fernández

“Mercosur must protect democratic governments, the pandemic and the resulting crisis make the tasks of government complex and that is why I am proposing to create this observatory, which will be a tool for the governance of our nations ”, indicated the Head of State, who was accompanied of Chancellor Felipe Solá and Chief of Staff Santiago Cafiero. In no part of his speech did Fernández mention the need for greater openness.

Among other matters, the President confirmed that Argentina will bring to the meeting of Foreign Ministers of Mercosur, which will take place on April 22, the proposal that the common external tariff “will be based on the preservation of the balance between agro-industrial and industrial sectors, and correct inconsistencies ”.

On the other hand, the president assured that the commemoration of the 30 years of Mercosur “finds us crossed by the pandemic”. “We live in complex times. The coronavirus has shaken the very foundations of the world as we know it, and this is in addition to pre-existing global challenges such as climate change, the instability of the international financial system and the unequal distribution of the benefits of trade and technology, ”he said at the start of his presentation.

// 30 years have passed since the creation of Mercosur

Fernández called on his Mercosur peers “not to erode the productive structures” of member countries. “This is not the time for individuals, no one is saved alone, as Pope Francis says,” said the president during the opening, from the bicentennial museum, of the virtual meeting.

“We must not erode the productive structures of our countries. We aspire to achieve consensus with our partners; Even if we think differently, the will to integrate must prevail, ”he said.

In addition to the Democratic Quality Observatory, Fernández proposed to create another linked to gender violence and a third linked to climate change.

Finally, he argued that the formation of Mercosur 30 years ago “left behind the logic of rivalry to move to the logic of cooperation” and argued that the bloc “promotes the consolidation of democratic institutions in the region”. “We are still going for many years from Mercosur,” he concluded.