On Wednesday Federal Chancellor Scholz received the President of the Republic of Argentina in Berlin. Following his talks with President Fernández, Scholz praised Argentina as a trusted partner in Latin America and announced that the good partnership would be continued. The Federal Chancellor stressed they had discussed international and regional issues and addressed major challenges: “We spent a good deal of time on them and discussed them in depth.”

High levels of agreement in positions on the Ukraine war

The talks focused on the Ukraine war. The Federal Chancellor noted that they were “unanimous in [their] condemnation of brutal Russian aggression in Ukraine.” Scholz stressed that the most egregious breaches of international law and international order must not be allowed to remain unanswered, so Germany would continue its support for Ukraine as it fights Russia. Scholz said this was a major war with consequences for the whole world. In this connection he thanked President Fernández for Argentina's resolute support in condemning Russia through international bodies.

Focus on Argentina's economy

Scholz welcomed Argentina's efforts to develop a new programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek to curb inflation and balance the budget. “I am delighted to see Argentina's continued efforts, despite the challenging economic conditions,” the Federal Chancellor said.

He also expressed his support for progress in the trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR, so as to further intensify regional collaboration with Latin America at a European level. The goal, Scholz said, was to successfully conclude the agreement. However, he also stressed that “binding commitments on standards for the environment, society and human rights protections” were needed before this could happen.

Bilateral economic collaboration

The talks also addressed the two countries’ wide-ranging bilateral economic relationship. The Chancellor emphasised the Federal Government's willingness to support German companies in their engagement in Argentina in general as a means of overcoming economic barriers. At the same time he welcomed the ongoing talks between the Argentinians and many individual German businesses.

He also announced close cooperation around energy: “Argentina has huge potential for renewables and green hydrogen production,” he said, stressing that this would make a key contribution to making transportation and heavy industry carbon neutral.

Bilateral relations between Germany and Argentina rest on a broad foundation of political and economic cooperation. This cooperation is supported by a robust network of cultural connections, as well as being accompanied by a long tradition of partnerships in science and technology. Alongside Brazil and Mexico, Argentina is one of the three representatives of Latin America in the G20 and is Germany's third-most important trade partner in the region. President Fernández has been the country’s head of state since 2019.