President Alberto Fernández traveled to Santiago, Chile, early this morning to celebrate the 205th anniversary of the “Maipú Embrace” with his Chilean counterpart, Gabriel Boric. 

The “Maipú Embrace” was a hug between army generals Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martín after winning a battle against the Spanish king’s troops and sealing Chile’s independence on April 5, 1818. 

After the anniversary celebrations, at noon local time (1 p.m. Argentine time), Fernández will participate in a virtual meeting of the “Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean countries against inflation”, organized by Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. 

The presidents of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Belize, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will also attend.

At 3.45 p.m. (4.45 p.m. Argentine time) Fernández and Boric will hold a bilateral meeting, during which they will discuss the topics of the joint agreement they signed a year ago during Boric’s visit to Argentina, according to a statement from the Casa Rosada. 

These included political, trade, and economic alliances and commitments on gender equality, women empowerment, LGBTIQ+ rights, and memory policies regarding the dictatorships in both countries. 

After the meeting, they will be joined by their staff. Members of the Argentine delegation include Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, Presidency Secretary Julio Vitobello, Argentine ambassador to Chile Rafael Bielsa, Presidency advisor Ricardo Forster, and national deputy Marcelo Casaretto.

Fernández will travel back to Argentina this evening. 

-Télam