Argentina–Spain relations

Argentina–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between the Argentine Republic and the Kingdom of Spain. Since a great portion of the immigrants to Argentina before the mid-19th century were of Spanish descent, and a significant part of the late-19th century/early-20th century immigrants to Argentina were Spaniards, the large majority of Argentines are at least partly of Spanish ancestry. Both nations are members of the Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations.

Argentine–Spanish relations
Map indicating locations of Argentina and Spain

Argentina
Spain

History

Spanish colonization
Main article: Colonial Argentina
Eva Perón in Spain; 1947

In 1516, the first Spanish expedition to visit what is now Argentina was led by the explorer Juan Díaz de Solís. In 1536, the first Spanish settlement was created in the Río de la Plata basin. Since then, Argentina was formally incorporated into the Viceroyalty of Peru governed from Lima under the Spanish crown. In 1776, the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created with the head of government placed in Buenos Aires.

Independence
Main article: Argentine War of Independence

In May 1810, the May Revolution where Argentina declared its independence from Spain. For the next eight years, Argentina, led by José de San Martín, fought Spanish troops for independence. In 1824, Argentina obtained its independence. In 1863, a Treaty of Peace and Amity was signed and thus established diplomatic relations between the two nations.[1]

Post independence

Since obtaining independence from Spain, diplomatic relations between the two nations have been stable. During the Spanish civil war, Argentina remained neutral and gave asylum to any Spanish citizen requesting it without regards to whether they were Republicans or Nationalists.[2] At the end of the war, Argentina maintained diplomatic relations with the government of General Francisco Franco. Maintaining diplomatic relations allowed for the first lady of Argentina Eva Perón to visit Spain in 1947 and donate five million tons of food to the Spanish people.[3]

After the death of General Franco in Spain in 1975, Argentina entered a period of military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. Spain recognised and supported the claims of Argentine territorial rights over the islands. In 2012, British documents were made declassified and stated that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher feared that during the Falkland war, Spain would join Argentina by invading Gibraltar.[4] However, as of December 31, 2020, Spain and the United Kingdom reached an agreement on the Gibraltar dispute with their Spanish environment.[5]

A dispute arose in 2012, when Argentina sought to nationalize the energy company YPF, owned by the Spanish multinational company Repsol. Spain warned against such a move stating that it would harm bilateral relations if such a move were to happen.[6] On 16 April, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced the nationalization of YPF, to which Spain warned of a "clear and decisive" response.[7] The Argentine government agreed a $5 billion settlement with Repsol over YPF.[8]

Argentine President Alberto Fernández and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Rome; October 2021.

In the 2010s an Argentine court accused Antonio González Pacheco, a former police inspector, of committing criminal acts during the Franco regime. He was sought for extradition by an Argentine judge in 2014.[9] María Romilda Servini had called for the indictment.[10] The request for extradition was refused by the Spanish High Court on the basis that the statute of limitations had run out on the accusation against him.[11]

In 2021, Spain pledged support to Argentina vis-à-vis the latter country's negotiations with the IMF to renegotiate on the mechanisms of their debt, singularly those relating to the payment of the US$45 billion borrowed by the Macri administration from the IMF.[12] In June 2021, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez paid a visit to Argentina and met with President Alberto Fernández.[13] In May 2022, Argentine President Alberto Fernández paid a visit to Spain.[14]

Cultural cooperation

The Monument to the Carta Magna and Four Regions of Argentina was donated by the Spanish community in 1910, on the occasion of the centenary of the May Revolution.[15] Argentina hosts Spanish Cultural Centers in Buenos Aires, in Córdoba and in the Parque de España, Rosario.[16] In addition, it also has mixed social and sports institutions, such as the Spanish Club of Rosario or the Hispano-Argentino Regatta Club,[17][18] and Spanish is the common language of both countries.[19]

Since May 2014, the Argentine cartoonist Quino, famous for his comic strip Mafalda, received the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities.[20] Later, since May 2017, the Argentine humorous-musical group Les Luthiers was also awarded.[21]

Tango and flamenco are two Latin dance genres, recognized as intangible cultural heritage, being emblems of Argentine and Spanish culture respectively. Likewise, they have become popular among the societies of both countries with the exchange of music and dance artists.[22][23]

In February 2020, a twinning tourist guide was established that unites the city of Córdoba in Spain with the counterpart Córdoba in Argentina, trying to take advantage of the aspects that both cities share and that transcend beyond the common name that identifies them, covering linguistic points and cultural.[24]

Since June 2022, the twinning of the paths of the Cura Brochero in Córdoba (Argentina) with that of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain) began. The agreement will have as its main objective to promote the exchange of knowledge on Christian pilgrimages between both communities.[25]

In January 2023, Argentina sought at FITUR to capitalize its historic relationship with Spain for tourism, forged, among other things, by the family ties that unite both countries.[26] Subsequently, the signing of a twinning and cooperation agreement between the municipalities of Salta (Argentina) and Huelva (Spain) was established. The agreement was made with the aim of promoting the economic and social development of both regions through tourism, production, culture, and gastronomy.[27] Likewise, in May of the same year, Salta was also twinned with the municipality of Huesca (Spain), since the gauchos pay homage to the same patron of the Fiestas de San Lorenzo.[28]

Bilateral

Over the years, both nations have signed numerous bilateral agreements such as an Air Transportation Agreement (1947); Agreement on the Elimination of Visas (1947); Agreement on Migration (1960); Agreement on Cultural Cooperation (1971); Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1972); Agreement on Economic Cooperation (1974); Extradition Treaty (1987); Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (1991); Agreement on mutual recognition of Drivers License (2002); Agreement on the Avoidance of Double-Taxation (2013)[1] and an Agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation in innovation and technological development (2022).[29]

Transportation

There are direct flights between Argentina and Spain through the following airlines: Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Europa, Iberia and Level.

Trade and investment

In 2017, trade between Argentina and Spain totaled €2.7 billion Euros.[30] Argentina's main exports to Spain include: animal based products, frozen fish, crustaceans and sea mussels, copper and organic chemicals. Spain's exports to Argentina include: automobile components and equipment, electrical material and pharmachemicals.[30] Spanish multinational companies such Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Banco Santander, Mapfre, Telefónica and Zara operate in Argentina.

Spain is the second largest investor in Argentina after the United States, totalling to more than €9.8 million Euros in 2018.[31]

Resident diplomatic relations
  • Embassy of Argentina in Madrid
    Embassy of Argentina in Madrid
  • Consulate-General of Argentina in Barcelona
    Consulate-General of Argentina in Barcelona
  • Consulate of Argentina in Cádiz
    Consulate of Argentina in Cádiz
  • Embassy of Spain in Buenos Aires
    Embassy of Spain in Buenos Aires
  • Consulate-General of Spain in Buenos Aires
    Consulate-General of Spain in Buenos Aires
  • Consulate-General of Spain in Mendoza
    Consulate-General of Spain in Mendoza

See also

References
  1. Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Argentina (in Spanish)
  2. La guerra civil española y la sociedad Argentina (in Spanish)
  3. "16 días con Evita Perón en España (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  4. El País: ¿Puede España atacar Gibraltar? (in Spanish)
  5. "El texto del acuerdo entre España y el Reino Unido prevé demoler la verja de Gibraltar".
  6. "Spain Cautions Argentina on Takeover of Energy Firm (Published 2012)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023.
  7. Spain Pledges Action Against Argentina Over YPF Seizure
  8. Rucinski, Tracy; González, Andrés; Gray, Kevin (25 February 2014). "Spain's Repsol agrees to $5 billion settlement with Argentina over YPF". reuters.com.
  9. Rafael, Patricia; Yardley, Jim (30 April 2014). "No Extradition for Franco-Era Police Inspector". The New York Times. Madrid. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  10. "Argentina calls for extradition of Francoists over human rights abuses". The Guardian. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  11. "Argentina asks Spain to arrest 20 Franco-era officials". BBC News. BBC. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  12. "Argentina gana respaldos europeos a las gestiones por su deuda ante el FMI". France24. 11 May 2021.
  13. Sánchez da la bienvenida al gesto de Junqueras y pide “magnanimidad” para conceder los indultos (in Spanish)
  14. Alberto Fernández, en Madrid: El Presidente impulsa la idea de que la interna se defina en una PASO (in Spanish)
  15. María del Carmen Magaz (2013). Monumentos y Esculturas de Buenos Aires, Palermo: espacios simbólicos y arte público). Dirección General Patrimonio e Instituto Histórico de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. ISBN 978-987-1642-23-6.
  16. "La SEGIB podrá usar los centros culturales de España en Iberoamérica". Secretaría General Iberoamericana. 27 May 2015.
  17. "Club Español de Rosario - Historia de la Institución". Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  18. "CRHA".
  19. "Fundación para la Historia de España".
  20. "Quino gana el Príncipe de Asturias de Comunicación y Humanidades". El País. 21 May 2014.
  21. "Les Luthiers, Premio Princesa de Asturias de Comunicación y Humanidades 2017". El País. 10 May 2017.
  22. "Tango y flamenco se dan un "fraternal" abrazo en el Colón de Buenos Aires". La Vanguardia. 16 February 2019.
  23. "Madrid clausura Hispanidad 2022 con animación en la calle, flamenco, tango, mariachis, el musical 'Malinche', bandas de música y fuegos artificiales al son de Albéniz y Falla (horarios y ubicaciones)". Gacetín Madrid. 11 October 2022.
  24. "Una guía une a las Córdoba de España y Argentina". Hosteltur. 10 February 2020.
  25. "Se inició el hermanamiento de los caminos del Cura Brochero y Santiago de Compostela". Noticias: Gobierno de Córdoba. 14 June 2022.
  26. "Argentina busca en Fitur 2023 capitalizar turísticamente la histórica relación del país con España". Europa Press. 19 January 2023.
  27. "Salta firmó un convenio de hermanamiento y cooperación con Huelva, España". Gobierno de Salta. 20 January 2023.
  28. "San Lorenzo hermana a Huesca y Argentina: "En Salta, los gauchos le rinden homenaje el 10 de agosto"". Heraldo de Aragón. 4 May 2023.
  29. "España y Argentina fortalecerán la cooperación en innovación y desarrollo". COPE. 18 March 2022.
  30. Argentina-España: Relaciones Económicas y Oportunidades de Negocio (in Spanish)
  31. "Sánchez apelará en Argentina a un acuerdo con el FMI que permita estabilidad". swissinfo.ch. 8 June 2021.
  32. Embassy of Argentina in Spain
  33. "Embassy of Spain in Argentina". Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
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