PARIS

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez on Friday renewed a call to restore urgent peace in Ukraine, saying “the world needs more food, not more missiles,” according to a joint statement delivered at the Elysee Palace.

"We are here to make ourselves available and see if we can help from Latin America for restoring peace," he said in a statement to the press with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

Fernandez, who visited Spain and Germany in the last two days as the current head of the regional bloc CELAC (Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States), offered diplomatic support and coordinated efforts with the EU to implement a cease-fire and immediate withdrawal of military forces from Ukraine.

He said the purpose of this brief European tour was to highlight Latin America’s concern on the Russia-Ukraine war which has global repercussions, particularly exacerbating the food and energy security.

There is a need for a strong economy after the worsening effects of the pandemic, he stressed, adding: “The last thing we need is a recession as a result of the rise in interest rates."

Macron described Fernandez as "an important actor in the current stormy international scenario." He added that France's EU presidency coincides with Argentina's CELAC presidency, providing an opportunity to work together on issues between the two continents.

"Faced with repercussions of Russian aggression against Ukraine, we will act together on food security," Macron assured in a statement on Twitter.

In an interview with French daily Le Monde, Fernandez warned that the war and the sanctions against Russia will adversely affect the economies of Latin American countries, endangering food and energy security.

“It is urgent to negotiate and stop this conflict,” he stressed.

He brushed aside criticism over his visit to Moscow to meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin, a fortnight before the outbreak of the Ukraine war on Feb. 24, highlighting the “commercial and trade” related context of the meeting in the backdrop of the Sputnik vaccine supply to Latin American countries.

Referring to the changing international environment, Fernandez noted: “it is no longer a matter of talking about trade with Russia but about stopping this war.”