Argentina celebrates 200 years.

• Position: VIEWPOINT - Viewpoint essay

Argentina is celebrating its 200th year as a nation. The commemoration of the Bicentennial is a process in which celebration goes hand in hand with reflection, so I'd like to take this opportunity to tell the world about our celebration, take a look at Argentina today, and reflect on our priorities and objectives.

Let's start by going back to May 25, 1810 and remembering the events that led up to this celebration. At the time, Buenos Aires was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, and patriots had decided to end recognition of the Spanish colonial authorities and to constitute the first autonomous governing junta. That challenge to the colonial order was the initial act that led to the Declaration of Independence. Definitive triumph came later when the Spanish forces were defeated militarily after ten years of battles fought on nearly half of the American continent. Our celebrations pay tribute to those patriots and heroes who founded our nation.

What is Argentina's situation 200 years later in the year of the Bicentennial? And what priorities are included in its medium-term vision? The democratic political system has been in place for almost three decades now and it is becoming a mature system. Commitment to human rights has been strengthened as amnesty laws have been overturned and trials have been reopened for those military and civilian actors responsible for crimes against humanity.

Since 2003, the Argentine economy has been growing faster than at any time since 1810. The exceptional annual growth rate and the positive trade balance have attracted external commitments based on real resources. In these last seven years, public health and education have been prioritized once again with budgets that have tripled in terms of their percentage of total state expenditures.

The State has recovered its primary role in promoting science and technology research, and significant expenditures have been made to increase the salaries of teachers and researchers in the public university system, which over the last century educated all five Argentine Nobel Prize recipients.

Poverty reduction is also a priority for the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. In this area, the government is supporting companies that create more and better jobs and has enacted a universal social benefit for children.

The...