Spain withdraws ambassador from Buenos Aires after Milei’s offenses

Madrid announced this Tuesday (21) the withdrawal of Spanish diplomacy from Argentina on a permanent basis following President Javier Milei’s refusal to apologize for the insults given to the first lady, Begona Gomez.

The announcement was made by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, this Tuesday.

So far, it has been the biggest harmful consequence for Argentina of the diplomatic outbursts of the country’s far-right leader.

The crisis began after Argentine President Javier Milei called the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez corrupt because of an investigation filed against her. Madrid, in reaction, summoned its ambassador to Buenos Aires and demanded an apology from Milei.

During the weekend, the head of the Casa Rosada was in the Spanish capital and ignored the possibility of meetings with authorities from the socialist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Instead, he coddled the local ultra-right, personified in the Vox party, and opened a diplomatic crisis.

On Monday (20), however, the Argentine president doubled down on the fight and said he would not apologize. Furthermore, Milei described his Spanish counterpart as a “fatally arrogant socialist”.

In an interview with Argentine television, the ultraliberal also described Sánchez as “totalitarian”, “sinister character”, “reddish” (for being a socialist), “coward”, “ridiculous” and “a laughing stock in the world”.

The Spanish chancellor stated that there was no precedent of this type in the Spain-Argentina relationship and that Javier Milei responded to the “hospitality and good faith” offered to welcome him in Madrid with “a frontal attack on democracy and institutions”.

“Mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs are fundamental principles of international relations and it is unimaginable that a sitting president would visit Spain and offend the Spanish government”, continued the minister at a press conference.

This Tuesday, he stated that “there is no precedent for a head of state going to the capital of another country to insult its institutions and make blatant interference in internal affairs”.