The San Martín Palace in the Argentine capital has opened its doors to welcome the leaders of the countries that make up the Southern Common Market. The summit brings together the presidents Javier Milei from Argentina, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from Brazil, santiago pena from Paraguay and Yamandu Orsi Uruguay. They are joined by heads of state from partner countries such as Luis Arce from Bolivia and Gabriel boric from Chile, highlighting the importance of the conclave for the entire continent.
One of the key points on the agenda is the reactivation of negotiations for the Free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, a strategic objective for the South American bloc. The presence in Buenos Aires of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is an unequivocal sign of interest in moving forward with this pact, which has been under discussion for years.
However, the bloc's internal political context adds a layer of complexity to the meeting. Relations between Argentine President Javier Milei and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are experiencing a period of coldness. This situation is accentuated by the expectation surrounding a possible visit by Lula to former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is currently under house arrest.
Despite ideological differences, diplomatic sources have indicated that President Milei does not have bilateral meetings on his agenda nor is he seeking to create moments of direct confrontation during the summit. The Argentine president has previously expressed his objective of «Relax the agency's regulations in order to unblock free trade agreements"Showing a particular interest in advancing negotiations not only with the European Union, but also with the United States. In this scenario, the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, is emerging as Milei's main ally within the bloc, with whom the Argentine leader has acknowledged sharing 'common values' and maintaining a remarkable rapport."
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