MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei welcomes US Ambassador at Casa Rosada

After conferring with Lamelas, Milei will be traveling to the US

Argentine President Javier Milei formally welcomed Peter Lamelas, the new United States Ambassador to Argentina, on Tuesday at the Casa Rosada. The meeting took place just hours before President Milei's planned trip to Miami and New York.

Ambassador Lamelas presented his credentials to the head of state during a brief ceremony, officially marking the start of his diplomatic mission in Buenos Aires. The event also saw credentials presented by new diplomatic representatives from Austria (Gerhard Mayer), Belgium (Hubert Raymond Cooreman), the European Union (Erik Hoeg), the United Kingdom (David Seldon Cairns), and Switzerland, Andrea Semadeni.

Following the multi-lateral ceremony in the White Room, President Milei held a private audience with Ambassador Lamelas in his office. Attending the meeting were Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Chargé d'Affaires Heidi Gómez Rápalo from the US side.

“Welcome, Ambassador Peter Lamelas! It is an honor to welcome you at a time of peak bilateral relations, with the support of Presidents Javier Milei and Donald Trump,” announced the Argentine Foreign Ministry on social media following the presentation.

The US Embassy also confirmed the meeting via Twitter: “Ambassador Peter Lamelas met today with President Javier Milei, where he presented his credentials and reaffirmed the US's commitment to further strengthening the relationship between our countries, based on shared values and interests.”

Lamelas, a Cuban-born physician and businessman who contributed to President Donald Trump's campaign, arrived in Buenos Aires last Friday and had previously presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Quirno on Monday.

The formal reception of the new US envoy occurs amid the Milei administration's increasingly close alignment with the Trump administration, recently highlighted by a US$20 billion swap of economic aid facilitated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

President Milei is set to depart for the United States on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to attend the America Business Forum 2025 and hold meetings with investors. Shortly after the meeting with the US Ambassador, President Milei also received evangelist Franklin Graham at the Casa Rosada. After the meeting with Lamelas, Milei received evangelist Franklin Graham, current president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the evangelical organization Samaritan's Purse, who was joined by BGEA Board member Melvin Graham, BGEA Director for Latin America Christopher Swanson, and BGEA Vice President of Crusades Viktor Hamm.