MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei plans regional tour seeking investment, with a Bolsonaro visit that irks Lula

Milei said he would travel on July 25 to São Paulo to take part in the event at which, he said, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — son of former President Jair — will be proclaimed a presidential candidate

Argentine President Javier Milei announced a busy international schedule for the coming weeks, with trips to Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, which he presented as part of an outward-looking strategy aimed at attracting trade and investment. The itinerary includes a gesture toward the Brazilian opposition that is likely to cause discomfort for the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In a radio interview, Milei said he would travel on July 25 to São Paulo to take part in the event at which, he said, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — will be proclaimed a presidential candidate. In that context, he said he would make time to travel to Brasília to greet Jair Bolsonaro, who faces legal proceedings over his attempt to overturn his 2022 election defeat. A visit by a foreign head of state to a convicted former leader and political rival of Lula amounts to a high-voltage diplomatic gesture between two neighboring countries with ideologically opposed governments.

The tour is built around three presidential inaugurations of leaders aligned with Milei. On July 28 he will be in Peru for the swearing-in of Keiko Fujimori, who won June's runoff and will be the first woman elected by popular vote to govern that country. On August 7 he will travel to Colombia for the inauguration of Abelardo de la Espriella, whose transition is taking place amid sharp tensions with the outgoing government of Gustavo Petro. He will also visit Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, with whom he said he has agreements pending signature.

Milei framed the trips within his economic-integration policy. “Argentina should have three times the trade it currently has,” he said, defending the usefulness of his tours in attracting capital. In support, he claimed that the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI) had already secured 150 billion dollars in investment, and mentioned a 2.2-billion-dollar nuclear-energy project that, he said, would be the first under an expanded scheme if it wins legislative approval. Those figures are the president's own estimates.

The president used the interview to distinguish between provinces that joined the RIGI and those that did not. He said the districts that signed on “are doing very well” and claimed that the provinces of Buenos Aires, Formosa and La Rioja, whose governments did not back the initiative, are “condemning their populations” for ideological reasons. The argument is part of the national government's dispute with provincial leaders, whose support Milei needs in Congress to advance his reform agenda.