Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, newly-appointed Argentine ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, wants to help build the relationship between the two countries through sports and culture.
Having arrived only two weeks ago, he said he already feels at home and is excited to connect with communities across the country.
This is not his first stint in the Caribbean: he was previously ambassador in Barbados, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia, as well as an undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, among other roles.
He told Newsday he has already begun discussions on how the two countries’ 60-year-old partnership can grow.
He's met with TT Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards, as he believes there is a great opportunity for the exchange of skills and knowledge in the sport.
Argentina is the 2022 World Cup champions and has won the title three times.
“We started thinking about co-operating in (that area), as well as cricket, where it can be the other way around. We can help you with football and you can help us with cricket.”
Laughing, he said, “Believe it or not, we have a cricket team in Argentina. We lose most games, but we are learning and we need technical assistance.”
He said sports and culture are two of the best ways to transform young people’s lives, especially the most vulnerable.
“When you are a little kid in a very poor neighbourhood, you are surrounded by guns, weapons, drugs…All the bad things are right there around you, and sometimes sports or arts are the only way out from there.”
He said he is an example of that, as he grew up in a very poor family and was the first to go to university.
When it comes to the arts, he said he wants to do something similar to his time in Barbados: to open a space for local, up-and-coming artists to exhibit.
“I want to help give exposure to young people who may not have any other opportunities to get their work out there…The diplomatic world gives you exposure.”
He said his approach to diplomacy is a bit different from the norm.
“My take is that it is not only about government-to-government type of activity, but people-to-people. So I normally get involved a lot in the local communities. I don’t like the idea of a diplomatic (ecosystem) where you only talk to your diplomatic colleagues and operate in a circle. You never get into the real country you are a part of that way.
“Knowing diplomatic friends is great, but I want to be part of your society.”
Because he views himself as a “regular human being” above all else, you can find him at a local gym or grocery, or even “taking a sweat” on a field.
When he first arrived, all his luggage was lost. But despite this, all he wanted to do was play football. So he went to the mall, bought clothes for football training and visited Mandela Park in Port of Spain.
“You know like when you’re a kid and you just sit at the side and look at a group of people playing football, almost as if you’re saying you want to play, and then they invite you? That’s what happened.”
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