At the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Argentine President Mauricio Macri highlighted the “constructive role” Argentina has played over the past four years in contributing to solutions to global challenges, based on “consensus and collective action” and on the conviction that “the world is a much greater opportunity than a threat.”

“I am convinced that, for us to grow and to develop, to have the life that our people deserve, we need to integrate more with the world and so showcase our work and our talent. I know we can do it. It depends on us,” he said.

“In the current situation of uncertainty that Argentines are facing, my absolute priority is to take care of all of them, to bring them relief”, said Macri to members of the Assembly. “Without neglecting this responsibility, I decided to come and share with you an overview of Argentina's international integration over the last four years,” he said, arguing that “a safer and more peaceful world requires more stable and integrated regions.”

Referring to the conclusion of over 20 years of negotiations, Macri highlighted the potential of the “unprecedented” trade agreement reached between MERCOSUR and the European Union in June this year. 

He also reaffirmed Argentina’s sovereign rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and their surrounding maritime areas, ratifying Argentina’s predisposition and its call to the United Kingdom to “resume bilateral negotiations that allow us find a peaceful and definitive solution to the dispute.”

Recognizing the “new framework for relations with the United Kingdom” established during his administration, including “the conditions for moving towards a solution,” Macri highlighted the work done with the Red Cross to identify the majority of Argentine soldiers buried in Darwin Cemetery, enabling a “historical debt to their relatives” to be finally paid off.

In addition, he urged once again the Islamic Republic of Iran to “cooperate with Argentina's judicial authorities and progress on the investigation of the attack against the AMIA [Jewish Centre],” reiterating “our request for cooperation from friendly countries to prevent the accused from being received or protected by diplomatic immunity.”

On Venezuela, Macri renewed his calls to the international community “to use all available diplomatic and legal tools” to reverse the situation in Venezuela. “The dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro has plunged Venezuela into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” he added, recalling his administration’s early warnings of human rights violations in the country, as evidenced by the recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.

“In a complex global context of uncertainties and growing geopolitical tensions, we decided to take responsibility and make a contribution to strengthening multilateralism and global governance,” he said, referring to his decision on taking office in December 2015, for Argentina to “leave behind confrontation with the world and pursue an intelligent international integration.”

“The best response for a prosperous future is more cooperation and more and better multilateralism,” he said.

In hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the WTO Ministerial Conference and the UN Conference of South-South Cooperation, Argentina has made a notable contribution to global cooperation and integration over the last three years, he added.

Argentina has also “strengthened its positive role in advancing international peace and security, contributing to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, space development, the fight against terrorism and the fight against transnational organized crime,” Macri said, expressing “our strong commitment to non-proliferation", which has been a pillar of democratic consensus in Argentina, guiding the country’s development of nuclear technology.

“In 2020, Argentina will host the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. And we also hope we can make a contribution through our candidate for Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Macri said, referring to Argentine candidate Rafael Grossi.

Macri also reiterated Argentina’s commitment to the fight against terrorism in all its forms. Buenos Aires hosted the Second Hemispheric Ministerial Conference on the Fight against Terrorism earlier this year, and the president commented on the important progress made in Argentina to strengthen the exchange of information and the new measures in place for preventing terrorism financing.

“We created a Registry to expedite the freezing of suspected terrorist-linked assets, which allowed the Argentine Financial Information Unit to arrange for the freezing of assets of individuals and entities of Hezbollah,” he said.

“Despite these efforts,” he added, “we still bear open wounds in Argentina as we continue our fight against impunity for the attacks suffered in 1992 at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 at the headquarters of the AMIA, also in Buenos Aires, which claimed the lives of 107 people and wounded hundreds more.”

“We want all people involved in the attacks to appear before Argentine courts, so they can be tried and, eventually, convicted,” he said.

The President stressed that the fight against drug trafficking and money laundering has been another priority of his administration, pointing out that over US$ 8.5 billion linked to organized crime has been seized in Argentina in the last year. “Trial dates for money laundering and corruption cases have been sped up, and properties of persons charged for those crimes confiscated,” he said.

Finally, Macri highlighted Argentina's commitment to the fight to mitigate and prevent the effects of climate change, within the framework of the Paris Agreement, and stressed that Argentina now has a manifest commitment to empowering girls and women, and eliminate gender gaps in employment, education and political participation.

President Macri arrived in New York this morning. He attended a lunch for Heads of State and Government hosted by UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and later met with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to discuss the situation in Venezuela.

He also met with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who congratulated Macri on the city of Buenos Aires’ successful hosting of the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, and attended a reception hosted by US President, Donald Trump.

Accompanying the president in New York today were Jorge Faurie, Foreign Minister; Hernán Lacunza, Treasury Minister; Fulvio Pompeo, Secretary for Strategic Affairs; Martín García Moritán, Argentina’s Ambassador to the UN; and Iván Pavlovsky, presidential spokesperson.