Fernández says after his meeting with Scholz that Argentina and Latin America will not send weapons to Ukraine

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, has affirmed in a press conference that Argentina and Latin America will send weapons to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion, after his bilateral meeting with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, this Saturday.

The Argentine leader has responded to journalists after his meeting with Scholz that, although Argentina has accompanied the European policy to stop hostilities, neither Argentina nor Latin America will send weapons to Ukraine or to another conflict.

Immediately afterwards, the president indicated that both he and the German chancellor agree on the need to stop the hostilities and end the loss of life. "In this we absolutely agree to work together," he added at the press conference.

Fernández held the meeting with the German chancellor at the San Martín Palace, who is making a visit to South America that includes Brazil and Chile, which aims to expand bilateral trade, investment and project financing between these nations.

In addition, Ferández has stressed that Argentina "is a great defender of human rights in the world" and has affirmed that with the arrival of Lula Da Silva in Brazil "Mercosur is in a better position to negotiate with Europe."

Angela Merkel's successor has also assured that Germany is interested in strengthening cooperation with Argentina in energy matters, making special reference to the fight against climate change.

For its part, Argentina has affirmed its desire to become "a safe gas producer in the world" for which it intends to enhance its energy capacities, according to the Argentine agency Telam.

For his part, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, stressed the importance of resuming negotiations on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries --Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay--, which have been paralyzed since 2019.

"It is important that everyone now contributes in a constructive spirit, that we work together and find a way to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion soon," Scholz added.

The German leader has claimed to discover "good spirit and good will" to reach a trade agreement after his visit in Buenos Aires.

In addition, Fernández added that both he and the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, agree on the issue: "We want to promote this agreement and make it work. It would benefit Latin America and Mercosur in particular, it would benefit Europe, and it would also would strengthen multilateralism in a world that is about to become bipolar again," according to DPA.