Argentina
February 25th, 2022
1. The Argentine Foreign Ministry rejected the use of force by Russia on Ukraine
Following the announcement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin of the launch of a special military operation on Ukraine, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing its “strongest rejection of the use of armed force and deeply regrets the escalation of the situation generated in Ukraine” and called for a peaceful solution to the conflict. It should be noted that the body had expressed concern on Monday when Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, although it avoided mentioning the violation of the concept of territorial integrity established by the UN Charter.
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto: Argentina reitera su “firme rechazo al uso de la fuerza armada” y llama a Rusia a cesar las acciones militares en Ucrania
2. Economic activity grew 0.9% in December
The National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) published the Monthly Estimator of Economic Activity (EMAE) for December, which revealed that economic activity grew by 0.9% in December and 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. In this sense, the largest year-on-year increases were in “Hotels and restaurants” (59.8%), and “Transport and communications” (16.9%). The item “Financial intermediation” remained unchanged compared to December 2020, while “Fishing” registered a contraction of 4.7%.
Ámbito Financiero: La economía creció 10,3% en 2021, el primer avance en los últimos 4 años
3. The Ministry of Productive Development announced the creation of the National Round on Mining
The Minister of Productive Development, Matías Kulfas, announced on Tuesday of this week the creation of the National Round on Open Mining to the Community (Memac) and the Open Information System to the Community on Mining Activity in Argentina (Siacam). In this regard, Kulfas stressed that the national government’s vision of this productive activity is one that “takes care of the environment, develops communities, generates productive development, and stimulates national development.” In turn, he also pointed out that mining today provides 30,000 jobs directly and 80,000 indirectly. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that this initiative will be made up of sectoral business chambers and unions.
Cronista: Se creó la Mesa Nacional sobre Minería: qué se busca y quiénes la integran
4. President Alberto Fernández announced AR$ 15 billion investment in science and technology
Last Wednesday, President Alberto Fernández announced the launching of a support and investment plan of around 15 billion pesos for the National Agency for the Promotion of Research, Technological Development and Innovation (Agencia I+D+i). The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Daniel Filmus, and the head of the R+D+I Agency, Fernando Peirano, attended the event. According to official sources, the plan will start to be implemented begin with the awarding of AR$ 6 billion to projects to be carried out in scientific institutions and universities throughout the country. It also promotes actions aimed at SMEs and technological initiatives that can provide solutions to the structural problems of social and economic development.
5. The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development spoke before the Senate about the fires in Corrientes
The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Juan Cabandie, was present on Wednesday afternoon in the Upper House to provide a report to the Environment Commission about the fires that took place in the province of Corrientes. Cabandie denied any type of responsibility for the events and assured that they were provoked, pointing at agricultural producers. In addition, he clarified that the primary responsibility in the prevention and combat of fires lies with the provinces. In this sense, the senators of the opposition criticized the delay in the actions of the national ministry to prevent the spread of the fires.