Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will be in Buenos Aires today for the first leg of his government mission to South America, leading a delegation of over 100 Italian companies. The Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, will also be taking part in the Argentine leg of the mission.
On his arrival in the capital, Minister Tajani will pay tribute to General José de San Martín – an Argentine general and national hero regarded as one of the architects of the independence of Argentina, Chile and Peru – by laying a wreath at the monument dedicated to him. At 9.45 a.m. local time (2.45 p.m. Italian time), he will meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Pablo Quirno, to discuss the strengthening of bilateral relations, with a particular focus on economic and trade cooperation.
At 11.00 a.m. Minister Tajani will be at the Casa Rosada to meet the President of the Argentine Republic, Javier Milei. The meeting, the main political highlight of the mission, will be dedicated to strengthening the strategic partnership and implementing the Italy–Argentina Action Plan 2025–2030, adopted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Milei.
In the afternoon, Minister Tajani will also meet the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Diego Santilli. At 12.00 noon, Minister Tajani will open, alongside Minister Quirno and Minister Valditara, the plenary session of the Forum that is the centrepiece of the bilateral government mission – attended by Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini, ITA President Matteo Zoppas, and the Heads of SACE and SIMEST – as well as the PYMES Forum organised by IILA, with Secretary-General Giorgio Silli in attendance. The bilateral Forum will focus on sectors with the greatest potential, ranging from agri-food to pharmaceuticals, from energy and sustainable infrastructure to mechanical engineering, digital technology and new technologies, whilst also highlighting the opportunities provided by the MERCOSUR market.
In the afternoon, Minister Tajani will also meet with the Italian community living in the country and the staff of the Embassy and the Consulate General in Buenos Aires. Argentina is home to the largest Italian community abroad, with over one million Italian citizens and around 20 million people of Italian descent – a human heritage that is one of the pillars of the relationship between the two countries.
The day will conclude at the Teatro Colón with a performance by the Teatro di San Carlo, staged to mark the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of Naples. As part of the event, a Framework Agreement on International Collaboration and Co-production will be signed between the San Carlo and the Teatro Colón, providing for joint artistic initiatives, exchanges and training projects until 2029, thus further strengthening the deep cultural ties between Italy and Argentina.
