MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei skips the opening of the Ibero-American Summit and meets Abascal in Madrid

It is Milei’s second visit to Madrid in two weeks. On October 21, at a breakfast event, he called Sánchez an “unpresentable dictator” and “corrupt”, and did not meet Abascal on that occasion

Argentine President Javier Milei did not attend the opening of the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid on Wednesday or the dinner hosted by the King and Queen of Spain for the delegations, and that evening met Santiago Abascal, leader of the Vox party, in the middle of the campaign for Spain’s November 29 general election.

Milei arrived in the Spanish capital from Buenos Aires on Wednesday afternoon but did not attend the opening ceremony at the Teatro Real or the gala dinner at the Royal Palace for the heads of the 22 delegations. According to diplomatic sources quoted by El País, the Argentine president had requested, through Spain’s Foreign Ministry, a private audience with King Felipe VI, as other leaders had, but the ministry did not process the request, considering it inappropriate for him to meet the monarch before meeting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The Argentine government has not explained his absence.

“President Javier Milei met in Madrid with the deputy and presidential candidate Santiago Abascal,” the Argentine Presidential Office said, sharing a photograph of the meeting. Abascal wrote: “Tonight I met my friend and ally Javier Milei, President of the Argentine Republic, whom I thanked for attending the Ibero-American Summit.”

It is Milei’s second visit to Madrid in two weeks. On October 21, at a breakfast event, he called Sánchez an “unpresentable dictator” and “corrupt”, and did not meet Abascal on that occasion. At the time, the Royal Household said a meeting with Felipe VI must necessarily be accompanied by one with the prime minister. Chilean President José Antonio Kast, also attending the summit, met Abascal this week and received an award from Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

Milei is expected to coincide with Felipe VI and Sánchez on Thursday at the summit’s plenary session, which brings together the countries of Latin America with Spain, Portugal and Andorra.