Argentina back to Davos after decade away

Argentina will return to the World Economic Forum in Davos this month under its new conservative president Mauricio Macri after more than a decade away, the government said Tuesday.

Macri said he would attend the top-level gathering along with one of his major political rivals, Sergio Massa.

They hope that show of solidarity at the forum in Switzerland from January 20 to 23 will restore investor confidence in Latin America's third-biggest economy.

"It seemed to us an important gesture to go together with an opposition leader who is working in a responsible way," Macri's chief of staff Marcos Pena told a news conference.

Massa, a center-right member of the populist Peronist movement, ran against Macri in the first round of last year's election.

Macri eventually won in a runoff against leftist Daniel Scioli, ending 12 years of Peronist rule under former president Cristina Kirchner and her late husband Nestor.

Since taking office last month, Macri has launched a series of economic reforms.

He vows to roll back Cristina Kirchner's trade and currency restrictions to open Argentina up to international markets.

His leftist opponents warn his reforms will hurt ordinary Argentines' spending power.

Travelling to Davos with Massa is part of a policy of "confidence-building," Pena said.

"We have to work in the world to be able to generate more investment and more jobs on our way to achieving zero poverty," Pena said.

Massa said in a radio interview that he accepted Massa's invitation to go with him to Davos "to show the world that we are ready to make a qualitative jump."

The Kirchners stayed away from the Davos forum during their time in power, saying it only served the big economically liberal powers.
Source :AFP