Relations between Argentina and Colombia are once again damaged by inflammatory statements from Javier Milei. In power for less than four months, the Argentine president once again insulted his Colombian counterpart during an interview with CNN in Spanish. Consequence: diplomats from the Argentine embassy in Colombia were expelled.
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The interview will not be broadcast until next Sunday March 31, but it is already causing a lot of noise. It must be said that CNN published selected extracts on social networks in which the ultra-liberal Javier Milei defends his management of the country and criticizes Venezuela, Cuba, or even the Mexican president, who has never been kind to him: “ That this uneducated Lopez Obrador speaks ill of me, that flatters me », Launched the Argentine head of state.
The latter also attacks his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro. The two men hardly like each other and make no secret of it: “ You can’t expect much from someone who was a terrorist, communist assassin “, he blurted.
Javier Milei had already insulted Gustavo Petro in January and February. The Colombian ambassador in Buenos Aires was then recalled. This time, Colombia ordered embassy diplomats from Argentina in Bogota to return home.
For the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “ the expressions of the Argentine president undermined the confidence of our nation, as well as the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected » in the summer of 2022 as the first left-wing president in history from Colombia.
Very deteriorated diplomatic relations
The details of “ expulsion will be communicated to the Argentine Embassy through diplomatic channels » usual, added Bogota. The Argentine government has not commented on the matter. “ This is not the first time that Mr. Milei has offended the Colombian president, affecting historic brotherhood relations » between the two countries, recalled the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Argentina and Colombia – despite being leading commercial and strategic partners, particularly in the fight against organized crime – are on the verge of diplomatic rupture. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since ultra-liberal Javier Milei came to power in Buenos Aires in December 2023.
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