Alberto Fernandez suffers from hypotension and suspends his opening speech at the G-20 summit | Report of the Presidential Medical Unit

From Bali

This Tuesday morning, on the island of Bali, President Alberto Fernandez was preparing to deliver his speech at the opening of the G-20 summit. The collapse was due to high blood pressure and an episode of dizziness. The president even came to enter the Apoorva Kempinski Hotel, where the first session dedicated to food and energy security with an axis in the war between Russia and Ukraine will take place, but after the episode The Presidential Medical Committee decided to carry out diagnostic tests to protect his health and avoid complications. A speech prepared by Fernández, which condemned the war between Russia and Ukraine and highlighted the potential of our country and region as a producer of food and energy, was finally read by Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero.

Fernandez left his Melia hotel in Nusa Dua in the south of the island around nine in the morning. He arrived at the convention center in his car with Economy Minister Sergio Massa and Vice President Juan Manuel Olmos. He walked the red carpet and took a ceremonial photo with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who went to greet him upon his arrival.

As soon as he got inside he started to feel bad. He was treated by medical personnel, who decided to carry out rigorous diagnostic tests, according to a statement released by the Presidential Medical Unit. The medical report was signed by Dr. Federico Saavetra.

It is not yet known how the schedule will continue. In principle, this Tuesday Fernandez had another session on health besides the one on food security. In the afternoon I am going to have lunch with all the presidents. Later, the Argentine President is going to be part of the event of the Association for Global Infrastructure and Investment in the presence of the President of the United States, Joe Biden. However, the most important event is scheduled at 5:30 pm (local time). It is a bilateral relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The day was to end with a dinner for the leaders. The President is yet to confirm whether the agenda will continue or be suspended. The Presidential Division is expected to confirm the steps to be followed in a few hours.

High temperatures, little sleep and stress may have played against the president. However, as confirmed by Fernandez, the President is currently feeling well and recovering. The function continued without change and the other presidents continued to speak.

A speech read by Cafiero

Fernández was about to read, but in a speech read by Cafiero at the end, the government condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “When we have not yet overcome the shock of a pandemic, it seems unbelievable that Russia will unleash a military invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine threatens world peace,” the president said. “Death merchants in the Northern Hemisphere trade deadly weapons, but in the Southern Hemisphere food becomes more expensive or scarce, and what ends up killing is not bullets or missiles, but poverty and hunger.”

For this reason, he concluded, “It is imperative that we join forces to get the parties involved to return to the negotiating table. We must insist on ‘multilateral’ power, even if some want to ignore it.” In line with the theme of the first session, Cafiro promised that “food security means ending hunger in the world”, but clarified that for this “we must start by ending the intolerable inequality that economic concentration causes”.

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