MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain pulls ambassador from Buenos Aires permanently

Milei says Sánchez will be laughed at for his decision

The Government of Spain announced Tuesday that it would be pulling Ambassador María Jesús Alonso Jiménez from Buenos Aires on a permanent basis after Argentine President Javier Milei's derogatory comments about Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the weekend in Madrid.

“We withdrew our ambassador in Buenos Aires. She will definitely stay in Madrid. Argentina will continue without an ambassador,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced. “From now on, the embassy will continue at the level of chargé d'affaires”.

During a convention of far-right parties hosted by the local Vox, the Libertarian leader said Sánchez's wife Begoña Gómez was corrupt. Gómez is under investigation for influence peddling by a Spanish court. Yet, those remakrs hit a nerve unlike Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente saying days before that Milei consumed “substances,” for which he later apologized.

Milei did not. “They can insult everybody and I have to keep quiet. Where do I leave my dignity?”, he wondered. “I am not going to apologize to her under any point of view,” he stressed despite Sanchez's warnings that measures would ensue, including the possibility of bringing the matter before European Union authorities. “Let him take it wherever he wants, he's going to look more ridiculous, everyone understands the dynamics of the facts,” underlined Milei.

Regarding the latest diplomatic move by Spain, Milei said it was “a nonsense typical of a fatally arrogant socialist.” He also said Argentina would not be withdrawing Ambassador Roberto Bosch from Madrid. “I will not be so imbecile as to repeat such a mistake,” Milei argued.

The Argentine President insisted that the Spanish head of government was “so fatally arrogant that in the face of a personal problem due to a phrase that did not contain names, he felt alluded to, with which the problem is Mr. Pedro Sánchez's, and from there he makes a senseless diplomatic escalation and as if this were not enough, he thinks he is the State.”

By confusing himself and his family with the Spanish State, Sánchez “is tarnishing the international reputation of Spain,” Milei explained. He “will become a laughing stock” for raising a personal conflict to the diplomatic level, Milei also pointed out.

Regarding Sánchez's claims that Milei was interfering in local politics, the South American leader recalled that the Spanish PM had “openly campaigned for [Sergio] Massa” last year. Milei beat Massa in a runoff on his way to Casa Rosada. Milei also claimed Kirchnerism was behind Spain's reaction.

Likewise, he promised that the relationship with Spain will not be affected by the tension and posed that “One of the characteristics of the socialists is to sabotage governments that are not of their palate,” he also assured.