Argentina's foreign policy is Argentina 's general course in international affairs . Foreign policy governs Argentina's relations with other states. The implementation of this policy is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina .
History
Argentina's foreign policy priorities are focused on expanding regional cooperation, including participation in the Mercosur trade bloc and the Union of South American Nations . Argentina is a member of the United Nations ; from 2008 to 2011, it chaired the UN Human Rights Council . In 2011, the Argentine authorities sent about 700 peacekeepers to the Republic of Haiti as part of the UN Stabilization Mission . Argentina is part of the International Atomic Energy Agency and adheres to the principle of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Argentina plays an active role in the international arena on human rights, sustainable development and trade. The Armed Forces of Argentina participated in UN peacekeeping operations in Cyprus , Kosovo , the Middle East and Haiti , as well as in Darfur . Argentina is a member of the Rio Group , World Health Organization , International Labor Organization , International Maritime Organization , Intelsat and Inmarsat . Argentina has ratified the Antarctic Treaty (the organization’s secretariat is located in Buenos Aires).
The President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, was guided by the internal political situation in the country when conducting international affairs. So, Nestor Kirchner took a tough stance on the pulp and paper mills of Uruguay due to the fact that they are located along the border with Argentina and worsen the environmental situation. Nestor Kirchner allowed himself to sharply criticize US policy, in particular during his speech at the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata in order to gain the support of the public and the left electorate. Nestor Kirchner took a principled stand during negotiations on Argentina's private sector debt, and also criticized foreign companies that privatized large enterprises in the 1990s, which led to a negative reaction from foreign investors, but were popular with the Argentinean public. In 2005, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner ordered the reduction of gas exports to Chile to cover the domestic market deficit, despite the existence of existing contracts between the countries.
The President of Argentina, Nestor Kirchner, did not differ in his mastery of diplomacy and often violated the protocol for conducting events, which led to all sorts of incidents. In June 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at Moscow airport to meet Nestor Kirchner, who, however, did not arrive at the appointed time. According to rumors, the wife of Argentinean President Christina Kirchner decided to stay in Prague for shopping, which was the reason for the disruption of the meeting of Nestor Kirchner with Putin. The government of Argentina made an official statement that bad weather caused a delay in flights, but the weather forecast transmitted data on a clear sunny day in the sky over the Czech Republic . In 2004, President Nestor Kirchner did not participate in the state dinner, which was organized on the occasion of the visit of Vietnamese President Chan Dyk Lyong . In March 2006, Nestor Kirchner did not attend the reception in honor of the state visit of Queen Beatrice from the Netherlands . Nestor Kirchner also never appointed new ambassadors, despite the fact that these were his direct duties, transferring authority to Vice President Daniel Sioli .
Argentina is a member of the Mercosur Regional Trade Union, created in 1991, whose goal is to remove trade barriers between its members. Mercosur is the fourth largest trading block in the world and the second largest in the Americas after the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) with a total population of about 200 million people. Trade between Argentina and other members (Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela ) has increased significantly over the past 5 years. The dispute between Argentina and Uruguay over pulp and paper mills on the Uruguay River contributed to increased tensions between the countries. In April 2010, the UN International Court of Justice accepted the consideration of the lawsuit of Argentina against Uruguay, according to which the Uruguayan party was supposed to close the proceedings. Uruguayan President José Mujica shortly afterwards stated that restoring good relations with Argentina was one of his foreign policy priorities.
Argentina has a long historical relationship with Great Britain. In the 19th century, British companies played an important role in the commercial development of Argentina. Railways, a food processing plant and other projects developed with the participation of British companies. A wide assortment of goods from the UK was shipped to Argentina, and Argentinean products in large quantities entered the British market. In 1982, relations were broken after the outbreak of the war on the Falkland Islands , in which the British armed forces won. In 1990, countries restored diplomatic relations. The British government considers the Falkland Islands its territory and is ready to review their status only if there is a similar expression of will on the part of the inhabitants of the islands. In 2008, about 37,000 UK tourists visited Argentina, an increase of 16% over five years.
On November 22, 2015, opposition candidate Mauricio Macri won the presidential elections in Argentina, who promised to restructure Argentina's foreign policy orientation from Venezuela and Iran to the United States. He also said that he would take a calmer stance towards Britain because of the Falkland Islands. Unlike his predecessors, Mauricio Macri took a much more critical stance towards Venezuela and other socialist-populist governments in the region. Mauricio Macri said Argentina is determined to achieve closer ties with Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile. During the presidential debate on November 15, 2015 with presidential candidate Daniel Sioli, supported by the government, Mauricio Macri said he would demand the suspension of Venezuela's membership in Mercosur for non-compliance with democratic principles. Mauricio Macri changed the country's policy towards the United States of America, advocating the establishment of closer and mutually beneficial relations with this country. In addition, he said that he intends to expand partnership with China and Russia. Mauricio Macri was among the priority countries for partnership, including: Japan , Australia and the Republic of Korea . Mauricio Macri sought to diversify political ties as much as possible, avoiding excessive dependence on one ally or ideological bloc, as an example of the ALBA alliance , which in his opinion could undermine Argentine sovereignty.