Though more than 5,000 miles separate the United States and Argentina, the two countries enjoy a close diplomatic relationship. They share many common strategic interests on a global scale: nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, efforts to combat illegal narcotics and the fight against human trafficking.
Argentina has worked with the United States on many issues related to terrorism, including increased scrutiny of packages and freight shipped between the two countries. The United States designated Argentina as a major non-NATO ally in January 1998, primarily because of the country’s contributions to international security and peacekeeping.
Last year, the United States and Argentina updated a civil aviation agreement between the two countries to address safety and security safeguards. This agreement will allow for a significant increase in flights between the two countries, offering more opportunities for tourism and business travel.
Such opportunities, U.S. officials hope, will continue to bring the American and Argentine people closer. In addition to promoting U.S. interests in Argentina, the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires has sought to increase people-to-people contacts among Americans and Argentines.
This is especially evident in the work the U.S. Embassy is doing with young people in Argentina. Over the past two years, the embassy has launched several initiatives designed to give Argentine youth a deeper understanding of the United States. These programs primarily seek to bring Argentine youth to America for study and to increase the availability and quality of English as a Second Language programs in Argentina.
“We think it’s one of the most important things we do here, and that over the long term, investment in youth programs will contribute significantly to better understanding and relations between Argentina and the United States,” writes Earl Anthony Wayne, U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, on the U.S. Department of State Web site.
Wayne also noted that increasing numbers of American citizens are living and working in Argentina and that the people of Argentina are generally warm and welcoming to foreigners, especially Americans.
He added that the nearly 500 U.S. companies in Argentina employ more than 155,000 Argentines. These firms, Wayne said, are good corporate citizens, sponsoring social and educational programs in their communities that help to improve the lives of the Argentine people.
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