Amador Sánchez Rico, ambassador of the European Union, talks about diplomacy and his affinity with Argentina.
It wasn't easy to find a moment of peace amid his busy schedule, but he finally welcomed LA NACION to his residence in Bajo Belgrano with his characteristic kindness. It just so happens that, after four years in the country, the European Union ambassador to Argentina, Amador Sánchez Rico, will end his diplomatic mission in a few weeks, and his social life is full of farewells.
The Spaniard holds a position that few outside the diplomatic world are familiar with. “Being an ambassador for the European Union is a great honor and a great responsibility. Representing the interests and values of 27 countries (21 of which are accredited here in Argentina) requires a great deal of coordination,” says the 52-year-old Spaniard. “I was born in Spain, in Madrid, but I've always lived in the Basque Country, in the border area. At 12, I moved to France, studied law in San Sebastián, then in Montpellier, and finally took my exam for the European Commission in Brussels,” he enumerates.
-Was your family already involved in a diplomatic career?
-No, my father is an industrial engineer, but on my mother's side, I come from a family deeply involved in customs and border issues between France and Spain. My grandfather was a customs agent. By chance, or not so much, I've been working in the European Union for 30 years with a major goal: to abolish borders.
-What was your first destination?
I spent the first ten years at headquarters in Brussels. And my first assignment outside of Belgium was as a political advisor to our embassy in New York at the United Nations. By then, I was already married to my wife, Sonia Lalanne, and we grew up as a family.
-Where did you meet?
"It's a great story [smiles]. We met in high school, when we were 12, in France. She's French. We started dating after high school, when we were 18. We studied together. She's also a diplomat, and she followed me, sacrificed or put her career on hold to follow me to New York. Then we were in Mexico for another four years."
-Were they found in the Latin world?
I feel strongly connected to the Latin American world, already in Mexico and even more so here, where I feel at home. I arrived in September 2021, at the tail end of the pandemic. I love Argentina. I asked for this destination; it's highly coveted.
-So much?
-Yes, Argentina is in the top five. It's a place we Europeans feel very close to. I feel at home here because it's a very sympathetic country, with a lot of shared history with Europe. You can see that in the city of Buenos Aires: I would say it's much more European than some European capitals.
-What characteristics do you highlight about Argentinians?
–I think they're two sides of the same coin. Something paradoxical is the passion you bring to everything, the way you live everything. The passion with which you live football, for example. I was very lucky to be here for the World Cup final; don't ask me what my wife, who was supporting France, was thinking [smiles]. And this close follow-up with which you live politics, macroeconomics, or the passion with which you constantly keep an eye on the dollar—that's something I'd never experienced anywhere else.
-Does an ambassador make personal purchases? Is he aware of exchange rates?
We're well aware of that. We have to do the shopping around the neighborhood, we have daily private expenses, and also within the embassy. There are payments to be made, salaries to be paid, tenders to be issued... We have to deal with a series of daily transactions, and you have to be informed because we have to deal with these changes. Thank God, I think the situation is a little better than it was four years ago.
- What role do they play between meetings, cocktail parties, and events like the Rural Exhibition?
The profession of diplomacy is more tested than ever. We face very complicated international geopolitics, a lot of conflict, tension, and it's now that diplomacy must demonstrate its added value and defend its interests. We have between 80 and 90 ambassadors; it's a significant number compared to other countries in the region, but here, there's a great sense of closeness and camaraderie among all the ambassadors. I think that's healthy, because it doesn't mean we don't each have our own principles, values, and interests, but that doesn't mean we don't have good relationships. This greatly helps relations between countries.
“I have two children. Born in Brussels to a French mother and a Spanish father, they were raised in New York and Mexico. Today, Inés is 21 and Adrián is 19… Adrián in Spanish or Adrien in French, we have our differences about that, and don't ask me how we wrote it in their passports or if it's written the same way, because I don't think so [laughs]. The four of us have moved together as a family unit.
–Did your children adapt well to this nomadic lifestyle?
I think we give children many tools with this life, but it's also a huge challenge, and I know they can lack basic skills, like their identity. It's not easy. My children now speak English to each other. When I have to scold them—occasionally—it's in Spanish, although their mother always speaks to them in French. Adrián has attended 12 different schools... 12! I think you have to know how to navigate that life. I had to change once, when my parents moved. I went to school in France, and that was traumatic for me, a turning point. In Mexico, my son went to three different schools. Then we returned to Brussels, then to Madrid, back to Brussels, and now we're here, where he finished high school last year.
–What are your favorite places?
I like going to the Teatro Colón; it's one of the top three in the world. How could I not take advantage of my time here and escape to the Colón as soon as I have the opportunity? If I think about destinations, it's difficult, given the country's vastness, so large and diverse. Because, what do you choose? The waterfalls, El Chaltén, or Ushuaia? I visited Bariloche, Villa Angostura, Neuquén, and I toured the Seven Lakes driving a vintage car in the 1000 Miles, an unforgettable experience with a connection to nature, indescribable. I also visited the province of Chubut, which is perhaps not as well-known from a tourist perspective, but I think it's a very complete province, because you have the Andes Mountains on one side, right next to the Andes, lakes, and wonderful landscapes. You cross the province through a fairly inhospitable area with spectacular scenery, and you reach the coast with the largest concentration of marine fauna in the entire country. I really liked Bahía Bustamante, which was founded by a Spaniard.
–What is the daily life of an ambassador like?
It's a job I'm passionate about, one that requires a lot of interaction and networking. I like connecting with people, talking. On the weekends, I try to disconnect; with a bit of luck, we manage. Although there are always commitments and trips, I often treat those commitments as something fun, joyful, something I do with satisfaction. We play a game of padel tennis early in the morning practically every Sunday because we have a chat group; we're seven ambassadors. Who are we? Well, it's a group that's also evolving based on the new arrivals. We have a Moroccan, a Norwegian, a Swede, a Belgian, a Canadian... Brazil? No, he plays tennis.
-You must also have commitments with local friends…
-Yes, of course. One of the things I like most and that I'm taking with me from Argentina is the importance placed on friendship, and this is reflected in many things, in many events, like the tradition of the barbecue, when we get together. We do it here at this grill [he points] or we get together at barbecues in different places; I'm in charge of organizing them. I come from the Basque Country, where there's also a great tradition and a great gastronomic culture, and cooking is my passion.
-And how much did you enjoy our meal?
"Well, I'm getting used to the cuisine here [smiles]. It wasn't easy at first, because I came from Europe, having spent a lot of time in Italy, and I can be a bit picky , too purist like the Neapolitans, with whom I lived for four years. For them, Bolognese, pizza dough, olive oil, and pomodoro are only one way, and they rubbed off on me. And in the Basque Country, where I come from, there's also a strong cult of cuisine. The pizzas here are good, but the roast beef..."
-Isn't the barbecue like in Europe?
"A good steak, we cook it over flame, rare and rare, it's quite raw inside, and you don't get that here. At first, I had to get used to it. But I'm a huge fan of their wines! I think you're very good at defending your brands in Argentina, it's confirmed: asado and Malbec. Also, I feel that, since I arrived—in Mendoza, but especially in Buenos Aires—there's been an explosion, an exponential growth in the number of restaurants and their quality."
-Where do you go out to eat?
-I like Roux in Recoleta, Crizia if you want to break away from the traditional and go for something a little more sophisticated. There are also very good sushi restaurants like Chocho. Among the classics, Don Julio is a sure bet, as is Elena.
-Kitchen in the residence?
-I cook. I'm very good at making paellas, although I rarely eat at home. Weeks can go by without me having dinner here. I'm only here in the mornings, although I try to do a little intermittent fasting there, because otherwise... [points to his shirt] . I have my morning routine.
-Is it true that you swim every morning?
-Not as much as swimming. But since I've been here, I've gotten into the habit: I can't leave the house without diving into the pool, which is now freezing cold because it's not heated. It's an adrenaline rush, something addictive that I can't shake. Even if I leave at 5 or 6 in the morning, in the dark, I jump in. I come out feeling refreshed, a burst of energy that lasts all day.
-And what are you going to do now that you're leaving?
My destination is Brussels. I doubt the pool makes sense. From there, I'll be traveling to 14 African countries, so I have to look for a house, and I'm leaving with a very different family setup than when I arrived here. I'm practically leaving alone, because I have the children in Madrid, and Sonia will be a diplomat in Rwanda. These are the moments you don't want to come, because you resist the thought of leaving a country like this, where I've felt at home. But that's precisely why I won't leave completely. I looked for some apartments, and I'm banking on the downtown area. I have a series of bittersweet feelings: I look back and everything has happened so fast, but at the same time, I think we've done a lot.
-What memories will you take with you from your time in the country?
Shortly after arriving, I said I wasn't going to get bored, because things here are frenetic, and I haven't been. We have to keep trying to adapt to this pace, and it's been exciting. I would say to my successor: "You know that saying that says you leave Argentina for 20 days and everything changes, but you come back 20 years later and everything stays the same? Well, that's exactly what it's like."
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