MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile angry over “inaccurate” words from Argentine Economy Minister

Chile neglected the cultural battle and is now ruled by a Communist who is about to sink the country, Caputo argued

The Chilean Government of President Gabriel Boric Font sent a protest note through diplomatic channels to Argentina after Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo dubbed the leftwing leader a “Communist” who was sinking his country. Santiago said Caputo made “inappropriate and inaccurate statements” during a radio interview with a Buenos Aires broadcaster.

 In addressing the issue of the “cultural battle,” Caputo said Chile was an example: “Today they are practically governed by a Communist who is about to sink them” and insisted that President Javier Milei's administration was victorious in that regard, whereas Chile had chosen to neglect it.

“A note of protest was formally delivered to the Ambassador of Argentina in Chile, Jorge Faurie, expressing the rejection of the Government of Chile to the inappropriate and inaccurate statements made by the Minister of Economy of Argentina, Luis Caputo,” Chile's Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

“Chile is the Latin American country that lifted more people out of poverty from the 1980s to 2010. And it neglected the cultural battle... It neglected it for a long time and today they are practically governed by a communist who is about to sink them,” Caputo argued.

The bilateral relationship has been cold since Javier Milei assumed the Presidency of Argentina. Both countries were locked in a crisis following statements by Argentina's Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, on the alleged presence of the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah in Chile, which was eventually corroborated by Washington, albeit after an apology from Bullrich.

Caputo also targeted Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Brazil for its left-leaning politics. Even before being elected, Milei was highly critical of the Latin American left, including Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and Colombia's Gustavo Petro.

Argentina's Economy Minister also condemned Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof's announcement that his administration would bid to buy over Aerolíneas Argentinas should Milei move on with his plans to privatize it. “Why does Kicillof want Aerolineas Argentinas? He destroyed the economy and every company he touched. We owe millions in lawsuits. Are you kidding? What does he want it for? To have a cash box!” Kicillof was Economy Minister under then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK).