BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Sept. 13, CMC – Twenty two years after it closed its Embassy in Barbados, the Government of Argentina appears set on re-establishing its presence here. This was revealed during a courtesy call to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart by Argentina’s new ambassador to Barbados, Marcelo Aldo Salviolo on Wednesday.
The planned restoration of the embassy and stepped-up technical cooperation in agriculture and business development were central to the talks, with the Prime Minister observing that those two would deepen long-standing ties between the two countries.
He pointed out that the embassy was opened in 1987 but closed in 1990 and he congratulated the ambassador for taking the lead in seeking to have it re-opened.
“That [reopening of the Embassy] should certainly deepen the relationship between the two countries as we continue to work closer together in the Organization of American States and the recently established Community of Latin American and Caribbean States,” Stuart said.
The Prime Minister noted that both countries supported each other in international fora, which served to fortify “the solid foundation and the very strong relationship that had been built over the years”.
He said Argentina’s strong economic performance despite the ongoing global recession, and added that the performance augured well for the continued enrichment of the Caribbean and Latin American region.
In the area of technical cooperation, Salviolo alluded to training in agricultural science, building capacity for craftsmen, clothing and leather craft design as areas to solidify the relationship.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Maxine McClean, also met with Salviolo.
During that meeting, the Minister said CARICOM had recommitted to forging stronger relationships with the countries of South and Central America, adding that “the developments in the region and the hemisphere are important for us”.
Argentina and Barbados established diplomatic ties back in 1968.
