MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's new FM sworn in under “the forces of heaven”

Werthein will try to cut down the number of Ambassadors abroad as well as their wages

Argentina's new Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein took his oath of office on the Torah on Monday. The choice of Jewish religious scripture was capitalized on by President Javier Milei, who made a few comments on the matter and told his new official that “the forces of heaven send you signs.”

The head of state added that “today we have left the conventional and traditional format” or formalities. Werthein was the Ambassador to Washington DC when he was flown back in to replace Diana Mondino after Argentina voted alongside Cuba against the US-imposed embargo.

Werthein landed at the Palacio San Martín with Milei's admitted mission to purge the agency of officials who are not aligned with the Libertarian ideas of the current administration and also to set in place major budgetary cuts, which would include closing down numerous consulates and embassies at countries with which Argentine does not have a strong relationship. Milei's administration also intends to carry out a thorough audit of the Foreign Ministry's expenses.

Werthein is a veterinarian and entrepreneur with stakes in various businesses such as media, agriculture, energy, telecommunications, real estate, the food industry, and healthcare. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).

Earlier this year, Milei and Werthein visited together the tomb of the renowned Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known as the “Rebbe”; he is the seventh and last Rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch, a branch of Hasidic Judaism.

Werthein's plan also envisions the creation of National Agencies to replace some consultates and other diplomatic offices. These Agencies are to have lower budgets and smaller staffs than their predecessors. Under him, the Foreign Ministry is also analyzing the possibility of implementing a mechanism of concurrent embassies whereby the head of one mission is also the chief at another capital nearby. Sources close to Werthein explained that Sweden has such a scheme regarding its embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Werthein will also be requesting the resignation of most of the officials appointed by Mondino, including Paola Di Chiaro at the helm of the Malvinas area. The only survivor would be Nahuel Sotelo, the Secretary of Worship and Civilization, who is said to be close to the Vatican and is under the wings of Presidential Advisor Santiago Caputo and Presidential Secretary Karina Milei.

The new minister will also seek lower wages reaching up to between US$ 15,000 and 20,000 a month in the case of Ambassadors, although he is expected to find fierce resistance from the diplomatic guild.