The visit of the Head of State was timed to coincide with the Day of Argentina’s sovereignty in Antarctica. During his speech on this occasion, he noted the contribution of scientists and other figures of the country to the development of the territory of the South Atlantic and Antarctica and called for global ‘peace and prosperity’.
Speaking from the Antarctic station Marambio, where Alberto Alvarez led the event on the occasion of the Day of Argentina’s Sovereignty over Antarctica, the leader of the Peronists said that “science is sovereignty” and announced the installation of new multidisciplinary laboratories and plans for the reconstruction of an abandoned base in the region, which burned down more than four decades ago.
“From the very edge of the Earth, I have come to tell you about the opportunity to create a new future of peace and prosperity. By uniting, we will make it possible,” the president said, outlining his vision of the country.
This is the fourth president of Argentina to set foot on the white continent (following in the footsteps of Arturo Frondizi, Raul Lastiri and Carlos Menem), Fernandez delivered a speech dedicated to 119 years of constant and continuous presence of Argentina in Antarctica and scientific work that contributes to the progress of the country.
“Argentina is a country that stretches from La Chiaca to Antarctica and the islands of the South Atlantic. Why shouldn’t the deep blue of the South Atlantic, the icy winds of the Patagonian Plateau and the southern cliffs be part of our imagination? Antarctica should become a part of our daily life, integrated once and for all,” the leader of the nation said.
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Daniel Filmus, who traveled with the president, said that the purpose of the trip is “to promote research on environmental conservation.”
“We are completing the construction of three new laboratories built jointly with the Ministry of Defense and funded by the Ministry of Science,” he added.
Then President Fernandez announced the opening of a new branch of the National Library, as well as the creation of an Antarctic correspondent position in the state news agency Télam, “because it is important for Argentina to know the news from our Antarctica.”
Continuing to emphasize the importance of the work carried out in the south, Fernandez noted that the country’s presence in Antarctica began in 1902 and “has never been interrupted,” praising the role of Juan Domingo Peron, the founding father of the president’s political movement.
“The first scientific expedition to the Argentine continental Antarctic, designed to create a permanent base, set off from Buenos Aires on February 12, 1951, when then-President Juan Domingo Peron and Eva Duarte saw off the expedition that was to create an Antarctic Institute,” Fernandez said, speaking about the first scientific institution in the world dedicated exclusively to Antarctic research.
“Peron knew that science is sovereignty. No development is possible without scientific and technical production. Antarctica is a center of scientific research of great importance for humanity and for our country. The growth of our Argentine projects to the south with a bi-continental vision and part of national development depends on the protection of strategic components,” the President suggested.
He further recalled: “Last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Malvinas War, and it was very touching to hear how millions of Argentines remember our heroes during the celebration of the World Cup. It’s time to look to the south again. The Malvinas Islands are an urgent matter, something more than memories of the war. The Malvinas Islands are a national cause, because the South Atlantic, without any doubt, and our Antarctic territory form a vital enclave of our territorial and political sovereignty.”
He also noted: “Since 2014, Argentina has been proudly implementing the Pampa Azul program, a comprehensive research project in which this government has invested more than a billion pesos. From the very beginning of our administration, we have carried out actions aimed at strengthening our sovereign interests in Antarctica.”
He concluded: “In 2020, we approved the law on marine spaces. Our maps today show the Antarctic Sector in its real proportions, suddenly turning Tierra del Fuego into the geographical center of our homeland.”
