Expansion continues between Madrid and Buenos Aires. On Tuesday May 21, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez announced in the Council of Ministers the definitive departure of the Spanish Ambassador to Argentina, María Jesus Alonso. He had already returned to Madrid 48 hours earlier. Argentine President Javier Mille’s provocative comments against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife Becona Gómez on May 19 were recalled. “corrupted file”. The latter is subject to preliminary investigation “corruption” And “bribe” It has already spilled a lot of ink in Spain, especially under the leadership of the right wing. True to his reputation as a troublemaker, the Argentine president put a coin back into the machine and refused to publicly apologize despite the diplomatic crisis that followed.
“It is unprecedented to see a head of state come to a nation’s capital to insult the institutions of the state and to meddle clearly in its internal affairs.” Spain slammed the foreign minister, while Argentina’s head of state made his comments before Congress, bringing together the global far-right assembled by opposition party Vox in Madrid. For Gerard Guillermo, a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies (IHEAL), Javier Millay, at least, “It violated one of the rules of international diplomacy, which states that a president cannot attend a public meeting organized by an opposition party abroad.” In addition to his 72-hour visit, the head of state did not meet Pedro Sánchez or King Felipe VI.
“No departure from the road or provocation”
A stroke of genius or a simple slip-up? Javier Mili’s true motivations are unclear. “There was probably no intention, or even desire for provocation, Jean-Louis Martin, economist and associate researcher on Latin America at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), explains. The costs of such an approach do not matter to him, he mainly enjoys expressing himself in this way. Since his election campaign and his election in November, Javier Mille’s naturally provocative nature and controversial outings have continued to cause controversy..
“This is a statement made in confidence, On the contrary, Christophe Ventura, an expert on Latin America and research director of International and Strategic Relations (Iris), believes. I don’t believe this is derailment or provocation, it corresponds to a firm and structured political and ideological line. The South American politician maintains a tense relationship with the Spanish prime minister, who received support from his political rival Sergio Massa during the last presidential election. Following Madrid’s announcements, a guest on Argentine channel LN+, Javier Mille again described Pedro Sánchez as the Spanish representative. “coward” And “Arrogant Socialist”. “We should not underestimate his anti-communist fervor because he compares Pedro Sánchez to communists, soft liberals or social democrats.” Adds Christophe Ventura.
A first in the relationship between the two states
Although he refused to apologize or work to ease tensions, the Argentine president made sure to keep his ambassador in Spain. For now, it is difficult to establish how long Madrid will maintain its diplomatic distance. “I do not believe that Spain will give in, its credibility is at stake after such a decision, Christophe Ventura believes so. At least we entered into a tight relationship.
For Jean-Louis Martin, the decision is above all symbolic “Allows us to show the serious displeasure of the Spanish authorities. However, in a few weeks or at most a few months the diplomatic crisis will end with the sending of an envoy. Javier Millay was president only from December until 2027. “It’s hard to imagine the breakdown of relations lasting this long,” Gérard Guillerm confirms.
“Cultural and economic links of all kinds”
One of the key questions posed by this rupture metaphor is the continuation of privileged trade relations between the two states. “Javier Mili aims to privatize more and more economic sectors, and there is a strong presence of Spanish companies interested and willing to invest, Jean-Louis Martin notes. Spain cannot do without a representative. Christophe Ventura agrees: “Spanish companies risk more problems, they will no longer have on-site relays and less facilities by local companies. For example, we can also imagine difficulties with visas. Javier Millay, with his boundless faith in a neoliberalism that strongly opposes any kind of state intervention, wanted to brush aside the concerns: “There has been a structural relationship for a long time […] And cultural and economic links of all kinds are maintained by individuals, so these links continue.
Beyond Spanish interests, “By harassing Madrid”, The Argentine president is also threatening “Its Relations with the European Union”, Christophe Ventura underlines. Argentina’s head of diplomacy, Diana Mondino, tried to defuse the growing political crisis on Tuesday: “The personal relationship that may or may not exist between the leaders does not and should not affect the bilateral relationship.” I don’t know if Madrid hears it that way.
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