(Special envoy) Alberto Fernández took advantage of the eleven-hour flight from Buenos Aires to Manhattan to review the last draft of the speech he will deliver at the United Nations and plan the meetings he will hold with Kristalina Georgieva, Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez.
The President is concerned with the global situation caused by the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the illegal war that Russia is waging in Ukraine, and his 15-minute speech at the UN will address this international problem that crosses continents, ethnic groups and religions.
Alberto Fernández observes that the breakdown of food security -due to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev- and the drop in gas supply around the planet encourage right-wing political movements that seduce with a simple speech the vast majorities that have lost his personal horizon. “The right fishes in Spain, Italy and Franceand it pushes situations of violence as we saw in Argentina, Brazil and Japan”, warned Alberto Fernández when the Aerolineas plane was flying at night over Latin America.
The head of state traveled to New York with a small entourage made up of the first lady, Fabiola Yanez, The chancellor santiago cafierothe Minister of Security, Hannibal Fernandez, and the spokeswoman, Gabriela CerrutYo. Alberto Fernández and his official delegation will stay at Park Hyatt, a five-star hotel located meters from Central Park.
When the president landed at John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport (JFK), the Argentine ambassador to the White House, Jorge Argüello, the consul general in New York, was waiting for him. santiago villalbaand the ambassador to the United Nations, Maria del Carmen Squeff.
At that time of the morning, around 8:30 AM New York time (9:30 Buenos Aires) the temperature was already close to 20 degrees. Too sticky heat for an iconic city that welcomes autumn in 72 hours.
In addition to preparing his speech at the UN, Alberto Fernández spoke with Cafiero regarding his next meeting with Kristalina GeorgievaManaging Director of the International Monetary Fund. The head of state stated at the G20 in Rome, at the G7 in Hamburg and at all the meetings he held with Georgieva that it was essential to reduce surcharges and increase disbursements of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) destined for nations in difficulties.
Argentina is in the worst scenario. It pays surcharges for the stand-by credit of 53,000 million dollars that Mauricio Macri took and is excluded by the IMF when extra funds are discussed for countries that suffer constant economic crises, famines and natural catastrophes. The Head of State will insist in front of Georgieva with the reduction of surcharges, the rapid creation of a resilience fund linked to climate change and the need to accelerate the extra aid that the IMF prepares for the countries that were impacted by the food catastrophe and energetic.
Alberto Fernández and the managing director of the IMF will meet around noon on Monday at the Argentine consulate in New York, a short distance from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Georgieva knows what the president will propose – in addition to thanking her predisposition to straighten out the financial situation left by Macri – but she can do little of her own free will.
The IMF is a multilateral organization managed by the United States, Japan, Germany and France. And if these G7 countries do not push the proposals coming from the global periphery, not a single SDR will be remitted to the poor and middle-income countries that are hard pressed by the war in Europe.
One day following his conclave with Georgieva, Alberto Fernández will have lunch with Sánchez and dinner with Macron. On Tuesday the 20th, Sánchez organized a meal to discuss food security, while hours later the Head of State and Macron will share a dinner to discuss the world energy situation. Alberto Fernández, Sánchez and Macron have the same perspective on the international agenda and its extreme dependence on food and energy. The three heads of state consider that economic instability puts the democratic system in check and facilitates the right-wing movements that are advancing in Spain, Italy, Switzerland and France.
Guarded and at full speed, the President traveled in motorcade from JFK airport to his hotel in the vicinity of Central Park. He will stay in New York until Wednesday morning and then fly to Houston to wrap up his second trip to the United States in a year. For now.
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