Six months have passed since Bernardo Arévalo and Karin Herrera took office. In diplomatic matters, the perspective has changed compared to previous governments that were secretive, but there are still opportunities for improvement, according to analysts.
Since taking office, President Arévalo has made four tours, in addition to Herrera’s participation in inaugurations in the region.
For internationalist Roberto Wagner, there have been several successes in the first few months, such as the rapprochement with the International Olympic Committee and various international organisations.
“There has been a great change of scenery and the international community has welcomed President Arévalo with open arms. I think that is also something that is still present, he continues to maintain a very positive image with many countries,” Wagner said.
Similarly, former ambassador Luis Fernando Andrade pointed out that in the first months of the government the agenda was successful with visits to Europe, the European Union, and the United States.
“The international doors have been opened wide for this government, something that has not been seen in Guatemala’s relations with the world for a long time,” said the diplomat.
Wagner also listed some of the mistakes made in the first few months. In February, there were statements regarding the intention to strengthen relations with the People’s Republic of China, but later it was made clear that relations with Taiwan would continue.
The vote in favour of Palestine at the UN General Assembly and the detention of some vans in the People’s Republic of China also caused a strain on the Foreign Ministry, according to Wagner.
However, both agree that there are aspects that can be improved and that spaces are not being fully utilized.
“We are not positioning ourselves, we are following the same tradition that all governments have had of talking regarding national prestige, but we are not achieving investments. We are not positioning ourselves as a competitive country in regional geostrategic terms,” Wagner specified.
He also considered that more cooperation and investments might be sought from countries that are experts in health, education, infrastructure and the environment.
“They can be solved perfectly with support, with important and strategic international cooperation, but only small things are talked regarding, the same old traditions are continued and I believe that this should be improved,” he advised.
Andrade made a similar statement. He emphasized that the benefits for Guatemala have not been capitalized on in a timely manner.
“From this broad opening to being able to translate it into initiatives because it is not that the spaces have been lost, they are there, what they have not lost is that they have perhaps never had a proposal of an international nature of strategy in accordance with the interests of the State,” described Andrade.
The diplomat also added that there is no explanation of international politics and the way diplomatic relations will develop, nor of issues of trade, culture, science and technology.
“There are many facets in the world, in the dynamics of the world, that require government attention from a strategic perspective,” he said.
He also pointed out that they need to constantly adapt and train themselves in order to avoid handling international relations in an “old school” way. From his perspective, there is a lack of direction and proactivity.
“As the presidency is very centralizing in Guatemala, it should be supported in transferring initiatives that are consistent with government policy, state policy, and also with governability,” he commented.
The Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency (SCSP) was consulted for an official position on bilateral relations, but it had not been sent by the time this edition went to press.
Andrade advised that a unified strategy is urgently needed to correct the downward trend of the diplomatic panorama.
“My suggestion is to make a strategic rethinking, which breaks a little with the dynamic that is currently taking place, which is downward and pronounced,” he concluded.
Wagner also recommended seeking creative initiatives to capitalize on more opportunities and take advantage of the spaces that the government obtained at the beginning of this presidential term.
“These are calls to attention to be more strategic, to be more creative, to be much more professional in the Foreign Ministry and in terms of the diplomatic cadres that we have,” Wagner concluded.
Governance
The president has maintained close ties with the private sector since he won the second round of elections. Upon assuming the Executive, Arévalo has maintained closeness. Various activities have been carried out with business chambers as a presentation of results. Currently, the government has a public-private inter-institutional table for the improvement of Civil Aeronautics.
The Executive maintains a close relationship with the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF) and the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala (CIG).
Carmen Torrebiarte, president of CACIF, said that the rapprochements are maintained with the Executive, Legislative and mayors as has been done with previous administrations.
“There is fluid communication. It is important that all sectors work together to generate the development that Guatemala needs,” he said.
Likewise, Raúl Bouscayrol, president of the CIG, stated that the way of working with President Arévalo is the same as that maintained in past periods.
“The Chamber of Industry has always been a proactive and supportive actor with all governments,” he said.
In this sense, the meetings are more occasional and are not established dialogue tables, a fact that was explained by both the CIG and the SCSP.
“Different spaces for dialogue have been established to address sectoral agendas and priorities raised by different business organizations,” said the SCSP.
Both sectors have supported the central government in actions involving economic growth and investment or business issues.
“We have participated in the meetings convened with the Ministry of Communications to support the issue of infrastructure and in calls from the Ministry of Economy for investment attraction issues,” Torrebiarte said.
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The collaboration is reciprocal, as the CIG has also presented the government with a roadmap of specific actions and has consulted with some officials regarding their observations.
“They -the Executive- are invited to participate in our events so that they can learn regarding the proposals of the industrial sector. Then we hold follow-up meetings to learn regarding the comments and observations on the proposals,” said Bouscayrol.
On the other hand, Arévalo was close to the 48 Cantons of Totonicapán and the ancestral authorities in the transition process. He even led a dialogue between the business sector and the ancestral authorities last October; however, upon taking office the relationship cooled. The president of the 48 Cantons, Rafael Zapeta, questioned the first semester of the government of the Semilla Movement.
“We see the lack of will on the part of the president and some members of the cabinet to not want to act concretely in favor of the indigenous population and especially in favor of the 48 Cantons,” Zapeta said.
He also criticised the fact that the approaches remain in agreements, but these are not fulfilled.
“The dialogue tables are nothing more than that, there have been no concrete actions that show that they really have the good will to be able to help us,” he questioned.
According to Zapeta, since January 14, President Arévalo promised an inclusive government, indigenous representatives have not been taken into account to the same extent as the private sector.
Last week, the Peasant Development Committee (Codeca) also held a demonstration requesting, among other things, an inclusive government.
In other departments there are also complaints regarding social programs and project execution, as confirmed by Deputy Sonia Gutiérrez of the Winaq party. As part of the legislative agenda, she is holding a dialogue with indigenous leaders, who have pointed out deficiencies and failures in the actions of the Executive in the departments.
According to Guitérrez, at the end of the tour the points that were highlighted regarding social programs will be sent to the central government.
On the other hand, Zapeta acknowledged that unlike other governments, President Arévalo has held talks with the sector, but differs in the way of doing so because he argues that there is a lot of protocol prior to execution.
The SCSP assured that spaces for dialogue with indigenous peoples are maintained.
“Two spaces for dialogue have been opened, one with the national assembly of indigenous and ancestral authorities, and another with indigenous organizations. The organizations in the second space include indigenous organizations understood broadly, and also women’s organizations,” they said. On the other hand, there is a mechanism in place for agrarian matters.
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