Lula's Visit to Argentina to Strengthen Integration: Cerruti

On Friday, the Argentine Presidency spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti mentioned that the upcoming visit of the Brazilian President Lula da Silva will serve to sign agreements "in all areas" and move towards "full integration" between both countries.

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Latin American Leaders To Participate In CELAC Summit

On Jan. 24, the 7th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will begin in Buenos Aires with the presence of various leaders of the region.

From an economic point of view, this event will be very important due to the signing of bilateral agreements related to both energy projects and a currency swap.

Argentina has a currency exchange agreement with China, Cerruti recalled, explaining that this trade mechanism allows her country to accumulate greater international monetary reserves.

"This will mean a very important qualitative leap for Argentina. It is an integration that we have dreamed of for many years with Brazil, which is our great partner in Latin America", she added.

Besides signing agreements on science, technology, education and health, Lula will participate in an Argentine-Brazilian business forum whose purpose is to increase bilateral trade.

In 2022, Argentina achieved exports worth US$88 billion, Cerruti said, adding that her country's exports could increase significantly after the agreements are signed.

In political terms, Lula's presence in the CELAC summit is important for Argentina after the tense relationship that existed between President Alberto Fernandez and former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

"We all feel that the climate in Latin America has changed... We maintained a state-to-state relationship, but it was very difficult to agree on many issues," Cerruti said, adding that there is now much optimism about the prospects for relations between Brazil and Argentina.