British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed today that she will attend the G20 Summit, which will be held in Argentina on 30 November and 1 December. The announcement was made on the second day of meetings between Argentine Chief of Cabinet Marcos Peña and senior officials from the British government.

Today, Peña was greeted by May at the UK’s government headquarters, in 10 Downing Street, on the margins of meetings with Peter Hill, Personal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, and David Lidington, Minister for the Cabinet Office

Peña also spoke at a conference on Argentina’s presidency of the G20, entitled “Political change in Argentina: promoting an open agenda for a sustainable global economy,” which took place at Chatham House, in London.

Peña claimed that Argentina “can only make progress if it plays a role in the global economy and is able to combine its belief in values, multilateralism, dialogue and integration, while fighting against drug trafficking.”

He talked about Argentina’s “need to build a strong economy that achieves permanent growth, is more competitive and is based both on investment and on the capabilities of leaders, entrepreneurs and businessmen.”

“Our goal is to make this change happen while taking care of those that are most in need,” he said. “The main objective of the Argentine President, and by which he wants to be assessed, is to reduce poverty, reform education, improve the health system and build the social infrastructure that is required.”

Peña said that, since December 2015, Argentina has been able to start a process of more international openness after being “one of the most closed economies in the world.”

He pointed out that the Argentine government is working for the country to become a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a request that has been backed by several countries. “We are working to improve transparency not only in our public statistics, but also in all those areas that might help strengthen the confidence in our system,” he added.  

Peña also talked about the three main priorities of Argentina’s presidency of the G20 —the future of work, infrastructure for development and a sustainable food future— and said that almost all G20 members have sent delegates to the working meetings held so far this year.

“That’s the message we all want to convey about the role of multilateralism, the role of these institutions and these debates,” he said. “The goal is to build consensus, not conflict, by understanding that we all have a role, we all have a legitimate stance and defend our own interests, and that every perspective is different and should be respected”.

The Argentine Chief of Cabinet is now travelling to the United States, where he will meet businessmen interested in investing in Argentina. He will also have breakfast at the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and will be honoured at a luncheon held in the Council of the Americas.