Thursday 12 de july de 2018

Information for the Press N°: 286/18

Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie presided over a ceremony held as a tribute to late former Foreign Minister Dante Caputo and unveiled, alongside Mr. Caputo's family, a commemorative plaque bearing his name, which will also be the name of one of the most important halls at the Palacio San Martín, the seat of the Argentine Foreign Ministry.

In the Libertador Room, in the presence of many distinguished politicians, diplomats and friends of the former Foreign Minister, Faurie stressed that "Mr. Caputo was the first Foreign Minister when democracy was restored and that gives him an important role in Argentina's history. He was a man who was committed to human rights, who respected dialogue and dissent and who listened to everyone, regardless of their rank or hierarchy."

The Foreign Minister highlighted "Dante Caputo's vast culture and fine sense of humour, signs of his high intelligence," as well as "his great bravery both during the dictatorship, when he opposed the Malvinas war, and during the early days of restored democracy, when it was not easy to be brave."

He also stressed that it was the then Minister Caputo who "entered into dialogue with two of Argentina's key partners nowadays:  Brazil and Chile. It was Dante Caputo who worked hard to put an end to distrust and differences, and even to the conflict hypotheses that seem absurd today but existed back then."

Faurie recalled that the international recognition that Mr. Caputo obtained "led him to, among other things, preside over the United Nations General Assembly and hold various positions at regional organizations, from which he continued working for democracy and respect for human rights.

Finally, in a context of deep emotion, Faurie referred to Caputo as "a man who was essential to Argentine history," and highlighted the fact that the then Foreign Minister of President Alfonsín "imbued our foreign policy with a strategic purpose, thus paving the way for our country's reinsertion into the world."

After Foreign Minister Faurie's speech, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Raúl Alfonsín's administration, Raúl Alconada Sempé, and Caputo's son, Nicolás, delivered an emotional speech in memory of the politician and man that Caputo was.

 

Press Release No. 286/18