U.S.-ARGENTINA RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Argentina in 1823 following Argentina’s independence from Spain. The bilateral relationship between the United States and Argentina is based on shared interests including science and technology, education, trade, regional peace and stability, non-proliferation, cultural exchanges, human rights, and social inclusion. The Government of Argentina shares U.S. national and international security goals through participation in international peacekeeping operations and advocacy for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
U.S.-Argentine cooperation includes science and technology initiatives in the fields of space, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, agricultural research and biotechnology, medicine, and the environment. The first bilateral joint science and technology working group meeting was held in 2010; a follow-up meeting was held in 2014. In 2011, the United States and Argentina signed an agreement on the peaceful uses of outer space, and in 2015 NASA and Argentina’s space agency (CONAE) signed a bilateral agreement related to heliophysics. The United States and Argentina also have a binational energy working group.
There is an active Fulbright Commission in Argentina which oversees educational exchange scholarships in Argentina and in the United States.
Bilateral Economic Relations
The United States is one of Argentina’s largest trading partners with a historic high of $23 billion in trade in goods and services in 2012. U.S. exports to Argentina include machinery, oil, organic chemicals, and plastic. U.S. imports from Argentina include mineral fuel and oil, aluminum, wine, iron and steel products, and preserved foods. The two countries have signed a bilateral investment treaty, and more than 500 U.S. companies are among the top investors in the country with nearly $20 billion invested in Argentina as of 2013. U.S. direct investment in Argentina is mostly in industry/agriculture, natural resources, finance, and services. In 2007, the U.S. and Argentina modernized a bilateral civil aviation agreement to update safety and security and provide for more-frequent flights between the two countries, allowing for increased volumes of tourism and business travel.
Argentina’s Membership in International Organizations
Argentina and the United States are active participants in many of the same international organizations and forums, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Atomic Energy Agency, the G-20, and the World Trade Organization. Argentina completed its eighth rotating membership as a member of the UN Security Council at the end of 2014.