IMF, credits and investments in energy and lithium: what Sergio Massa will look for in the United States

Sergio Massa will travel to the United States in just over a week, for his first tour abroad as Minister of the Economy. His landing in Washington will have as main objectives the search for investments and financing, including the pending the second disbursement by the IMF. It will also try to step up the fiscal controls between the two countries and the political support from the White House.

The trip scheduled for the week of September 6 will have one of its chapters as one meetings with oil companies Chevron, Exxon, Shell and Total, the Volkswagen automobile company, the Rio Tinto and Livent (Lithium) mining companies and the Amazon group, among others.

“The central axis of the journey will be the attracting investments in sectors of the real economy, with the aim of generating jobs and tax revenues “, say official sources.

The minister will instead lead talks with about twenty US companies that currently have productive investments in Argentina, a meeting coordinated by the US Chamber of Commerce and the Argentine Embassy in that country, led by Jorge Arguello. Also, 10 governors will visit Washington and New York looking for an expansion of regional exports.

“The mission aims to consolidate support in the United States for the stabilization of the Argentine economy as well strengthen reserves through more markets for domestic exports, more productive investments in strategic sectors such as energy, gas, agri-food, proteins, knowledge-based services, extraction and more foreign exchange earnings sightseeing receptive “, indicated near Massa.

In the US capital, the minister will meet the coordinator for President Joe Biden for Infrastructure, Investments and Energy, Amos Hochstein. It will also be launched together with the Minister of Tourism Mattia Lammens a program of promotion of hospitality tourism which will remain in the hands of IMPROTUR and which aims to generate foreign currency.

As regards the financial chapter, working meetings are planned with the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Claver Carone, CEO of World Bank, Axel van Trotsenburg. In both entities, Massa will try to accelerate the disbursement of loans for infrastructures and production projects.

In turn, Massa will meet with the Treasury authorities to advance to tax information exchange agreement between AFIP and the United States Treasury (IRS). The official confirmed last week the complaint in the United States of a company that supplies Vaca Muerta for an alleged triangulation to over-bill imports. The idea had to be accepted by the head of the Treasury, Janet Yellensomething that still has not been confirmed.

On the tour there will also be contacts with the White House, in particular with Juan González, Joe Biden’s adviser for Latin America to the National Security Council, with whom Massa maintains a good dialogue. The agenda includes meetings with the president of the World Jewish Congress, Jack Rosen, and with the director of the American Jewish Committee, Dina Siegel Vann.

The head of the Treasury will travel to Houston on Friday 9th along with the Secretary of Energy, Flavia Royón, and the presidents of YPF, Pablo González, and ENARSA, Agustín Gerez, to meet the executives of Chevron, Exxon, Shell and Total. The idea is to negotiate new investments in Vaca Muerta. Companies ask for “conditions” to promote projects. Argüello said he will work to give them all the “guarantees”.

Meeting with Kristalina Georgieva

One of the key points of the trip will be the business meeting between Massa and Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the Fund. According to official sources, the meeting will be held on 12 September.

The minister will be accompanied by his technical team: the chief adviser, Leonardo Madcurthe director of the Central Bank, Lisandro Cleri, and the head of INDEC, Marco Lavagnawhich today also deals with contacts with multilateral organizations.

Also, The head of Banco Nación, Silvina Batakis, who took over from Massa in a meeting with the IMF a month ago, could join.

So far, the IMF representative, Sergio Chodos, has not been confirmed. “The intense work agenda, coordinated by his international adviser, diplomat Gustavo Martínez Pandiani, together with Ambassador Jorge Argüello, will help Massa to present himself in the US capital as the new Minister of Economy and Chief Negotiator of Argentina“, they pointed out in the Massa team.

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