Alberto Fernández meets with the Portuguese Prime Minister to seek to close Lisbon's support for the IMF agreement

Federico Mayol

05/10/2021 7:37 AM

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 05/10/2021 7:39 AM

At the end of his 24-hour stopover in Lisbon, President

Alberto Fernández

and the rest of the delegation are received at noon by the Prime Minister,

Antonio Costa

, at a lunch in which the Argentine president will seek to finish sealing the Portugal's support for renegotiation with the Monetary Fund.

"Friend, what a pleasure to see you again, now as President!", Was the welcome to Fernández, before 8 in Buenos Aires.

They will have a meeting, then a joint statement, and then a lunch.

In the previous one, Minister

Martín Guzmán

held a meeting with his Finance counterpart, Joao Leao.

The only one he hadn't visited on his recent tour.

For Fernández, the "

Portugal model

" according to the IMF with which the European country advanced in 2011, based on an expansive policy program, is the

renegotiation to follow

that in these months Minister Guzmán seeks to close with

Kristalina Georgieva

, the director of the multilateral organization.

The head of state spoke about this with his partner

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa

during the 45-minute meeting, then extended to the rest of the delegation, in the Palace of Belem, in the first meeting of the official agenda of the five-day trip to Europe .

"Portugal had an unusual program with the IMF, of economic recovery,

which Argentina seeks to imitate,

" they explained at this time.

Fernández and Costa built a strong bond over the last year.

They spoke for the last time in February, by teleconference: "We have many coincidences in the eyes of the world," they trust the delegation. 

It is the

first destination of the tour that will continue this Tuesday in Madrid

, then in Paris and finally with Rome.

In all destinations, the objective is the same: to obtain the support of the main European leaders for the renegotiation with the Fund.

And of Pope Francis

.

Late on Sunday, the only night in Lisbon, Fernández, the first lady and the entire entourage

dined informally at the residence of Ambassador

Rodolfo Gil, in the suburbs of the city, the area where the ambassadors live.

They had a cheese entree and a shredded meat with mashed sweet potato.

Some had red wine.

They returned to the hotel, facing the Tagus River, after midnight.

Lisbon.

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