2024-02-23 03:05:12
President Javier Miley yesterday he received the “number two” of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gita Gopinathwho is visiting Argentina to learn “first-hand” – as defined by the organization’s spokesperson – the challenges facing the country.
The official visited the president on her second day in Buenos Aires and then met with the union leader Gerardo Martinez, from Uocra. Also, with the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputothe president of the Central Bank (BCRA), Santiago Bausiliand the Chief of Staff, Nicolas Posse.
After that meeting, he said from his social networks that he had “a productive discussion about the ongoing efforts to restore macroeconomic stability, protect the vulnerable and strengthen growth prospects in Argentina.”
In addition to the meetings with Milei and his government officials, Gopinath planned an agenda of meetings with civil society groups, such as academics, businessmen and workers, according to IMF sources.
According to the Fund, the objective of the visit is to learn about the “difficult economic and social challenges that the country is going through, as well as its enormous potential.”
The arrival of the IMF executive comes less than a month after the approval of the organization’s last disbursement to Argentina, after the seventh review of the agreement signed at the beginning of 2022.
Caputo himself confirmed on Wednesday night that during Gopinath’s visit there was discussion about the direction of the program and the possibility of requesting a new loan from the organization was analyzed.
This occurs at a time when it is known that economic activity fell 4.5% year-on-year last December and in the accumulated 12 months of the year it closed with a decrease of 1.6%, as reported yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec) through its Monthly Economic Activity Estimator (EMAE).
Meanwhile, in the last month of last year, activity showed a decrease of 3.1% compared to November in the seasonally adjusted measurement and 0.4% in the trend-cycle series.
In relation to the same month of 2022, in December ten activity sectors that make up the EMAE registered increases, among which Fishing (+8.8% year-on-year) and Agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry (+8.1% year-on-year) stood out. ).
To united states
Meanwhile, today Milei will meet with the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken. The meeting will take place from 11 at Casa Rosada.
He is one of the closest officials to the president of the United States, Joe Bidenand will visit the country with the aim of analyzing bilateral and global issues related to trade, energy and human rights with Milei.
The US Secretary of State arrives in Buenos Aires from Brazil, where he participated in activities related to the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit.
Tonight, the President plans to leave for the United States, where he will speak at a liberal economic congress, in which he will coincide with the former president of that country, Donald Trump.
However, a meeting between the two is not scheduled. In what was defined as a lightning trip – the Head of State returns on Sunday – Milei will be accompanied by his sister and Secretary of the Presidency Karina Milei y Gerardo Wertheinthe Argentine ambassador to the United States.