Independence Day: The United States Will Have a Double Round of Festivities in Argentina

It will be an unprecedented gesture to redirect the oscillating relations between Washington and Buenos Aires. Furthermore, it will be a very important step if the tense situation that occurred a year ago is evaluated. The U.S. embassy in Argentina is preparing a double celebration to commemorate its independence day. On July 4 there will be a jovial celebration in the diplomatic seat of Buenos Aires; on the following day the festivities will be transferred to the city of Cordoba.

Although relations between the two countries remain highly unsettled, this event marks a significant change in the relations between the U.S. and Argentina. However, we must bear in mind that the traditional diplomatic cocktail for Independence Day did not take place in the American Embassy in Buenos Aires last year because of lingering unease due to the seizure of military equipment on a U.S. Air Force plane by the government of Cristina Kirchner.

At present the relationship between Buenos Aires and Washington is not going through its best time. Less than a month ago, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson described this relationship as “difficult.” But U.S. Ambassador Vilma Martinez wants to turn the page and issue a gesture of goodwill. Therefore, the American Embassy will open the doors of its residence in Buenos Aires on July 4 and will celebrate Independence Day with guests of the Casa Rosada, businessmen, journalists and other prominent figures of the Argentine cultural and scientific field.

On the following day, Ambassador Martinez will take the celebrations to Cordoba. Here, North American diplomacy will rely on support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Argentina and the Argentine American Cultural Institute to carry out the preparations for the celebration. It will be the first time in history that the U.S. Embassy will commemorate the Independence Day outside of Buenos Aires.

“It is a matter of reviving the idea of federalism and issuing a gesture toward the interior of the country,” the U.S. Embassy spokesman commented to La Nacion yesterday. It is known that the ambassador toured all the provinces of the Argentina and developed an extensive cultural program. Although the diplomat is an admirer of northern Argentina, she also enjoys much of Patagonia.

This time Cordoba was chosen for being the second most important province in the country and because it is located in the center of Argentina. The North American embassy did not release the precise location of the celebrations, but it rejected a political interpretation of the selection of Cordoba with its coming elections since on July 5, in addition to Governor Jose Manuel de la Sota, all governors who wish to participate in the meeting will be present.

The festivities for Independence Day will arrive two months after Barack Obama’s administration formally recognized that the relation with Argentina is “difficult” and faces “obstacles” in sensitive areas, like the country’s international financial behavior, national security and the fight against drug trafficking. Jacobson told Congress in her country that Argentina “has to go back to having a positive relationship with the international financial community … .” These words came after the government expropriated the Treasury Petroleum Fields, YPF, from Repsol and received harsh international criticism.