MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei and Netanyahu discussed the Falklands in his only bilateral in New York

Asked by Argentine reporters whether the subject had come up, Quirno said “yes”, and “fine” when asked how that part of the conversation had gone

Argentine President Javier Milei met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about twenty minutes on Thursday at United Nations headquarters, in what was his only bilateral meeting with a head of state or government during his trip to New York. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno confirmed they discussed the Falklands.

Asked by Argentine reporters whether the subject had come up, Quirno said “yes”, and “fine” when asked how that part of the conversation had gone. He did not specify whether they addressed the judicial and administrative actions Argentina is pursuing against Navitas Petroleum, the Israeli company operating the Sea Lion project alongside Britain's Rockhopper Exploration. Milei was also accompanied by Economy Minister Luis Caputo.

What was said is known almost entirely from the statement issued by Netanyahu's office; the Argentine government released a photograph. According to that text, the prime minister thanked Milei for his “steadfast and unconditional support” for the State of Israel and congratulated him on receiving the “Defender of Israel” award from Yeshiva Darchei Torah. The two are said to have discussed bilateral cooperation and the possible expansion of the so-called “Isaac Accords”, an initiative the statement attributes to Milei to deepen security and economic cooperation between Israel and Latin American countries, and for whose content and status no independent documentation is available.

The praise was mutual. “President Milei is one of the great leaders of our time,” Netanyahu said according to the same statement, adding that what he has done with Argentina's economy “is masterful”. Milei replied that it was an honour to receive such words “from you, one of the greatest leaders in all of world history”. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, posted that “Latin America clearly hasn't heard about Israel's diplomatic isolation”.

The meeting came hours after dozens of delegations walked out of the General Assembly hall during Netanyahu's speech, in which he called those who left “moral cowards” and described genocide allegations over Gaza as “the biggest lie of the century”. Netanyahu also held no formal meeting with US President Donald Trump during the week. On the walkout, Milei said earlier at the Economic Club of New York that “focusing on the number of people in the assembly is a twenty-fifth-order matter” and that “what matters is the message”. He repeated that his support for Israel “is unconditional”.

The International Criminal Court has an outstanding arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Argentina is a state party to the Rome Statute.

The meeting came amid Argentina's campaign against companies operating hydrocarbons in waters near the archipelago. Buenos Aires has 60 administrative proceedings open with no penalty applied and three criminal complaints covering ten companies and their directors; federal prosecutor Carlos Stornelli expanded the charges last week. None of the allegations has been proven. Netanyahu has taken no public position on the dispute. His son Yair, who holds no post in the Israeli government, has backed Argentina's claim on X.