Argentine chancellor votes in favor of Cuba at the UN and is fired by Milei

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, overthrew Foreign Minister Diana Mondino this Wednesday (30), after the country took a stand in favor of Cuba in a vote at the UN. Mondino was one of the most prominent ministers at the beginning of her term, but began to be worn down by the Casa Rosada president.

The new head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be Gerardo Werthein, currently Argentine ambassador to the United States. Milei seeks to have Washington as an early ally, and Werthein was one of the protagonists of the ultraliberal’s strategy.

Milei fired Mondino after Argentina voted in favor of a resolution that defends the end of the United States trade embargo on Cuba. The matter was discussed at the United Nations General Assembly this Wednesday.

The resolution was approved with 187 votes in favor, including Brazil. The United States and Israel were the only countries that voted against. This is the 32nd time that the topic has been voted on at the UN.

According to the Argentine newspaper “La Nación”, the president was furious with the chancellor, as the country sided with “communists” and distanced itself from the United States.

In a statement, the presidential office stated that Argentina is going through a period of profound changes, requiring that the diplomatic corps reflect the characteristics of Western democracies.

“Our country is categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship and will remain firm in promoting a foreign policy that condemns all regimes that perpetuate the violation of human rights and individual freedoms,” he stated.

The government also announced that it will carry out an audit of the Chancellery to identify drivers of “agendas that are inimical to freedom”.

During her term, Diana Mondino defended the relevance of the Brazil-Argentina bilateral relationship, even though Milei and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva do not speak to each other. She had a close relationship with the Brazilian ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, and sought a more pragmatic view on some topics.

She was sent to Brazil even before the ultra-liberal was sworn in to put an end to the strained relationship between the two countries after Milei criticized Lula during the campaign.