ANALYSIS | Milei receives Bukele: what is the president of El Salvador looking for in Argentina?

( Spanish) –– The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, received this Monday his Salvadoran counterpart Nayib Bukele at the Casa Rosada, where they held a meeting behind closed doors, without a joint statement.

Previously, the Salvadoran president had expressed that Buenos Aires is his favorite city in the world and that at one time he used to visit often because his wife, Gabriela Rodríguez, did part of her master’s degree there.

This Monday, in addition to the bilateral meeting that took place in the afternoon, his agenda included a meeting with officials and technical teams from both countries. In the evening, Bukele and Rodríguez were received by Milei and his sister at the presidential residence in Olivos.

Previously, Bukele was honored by Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, in a wreath-laying ceremony that took place at the General San Martín Monument, in the historic Plaza de San Martín.

Since Milei came to power, the bond between the leaders has been strengthening. This is their second bilateral meeting. The first was in June, when Milei attended with her sister Karina Milei the presidential inauguration of the Salvadoran politician, after his re-election.

Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill, who is part of the delegation accompanying the president, said at a press conference that the conversation between the leaders was “very frank and honest” and that they are seeking opportunities for joint development to “strengthen the relationship between the countries.” ”.

Hill announced that the signing of seven agreements is planned on economic matters, nuclear energy, diplomatic training, sustainable water management, culture and sports: among them, the formation of an airport hub between both countries, a Memorandum on cooperation for training of human resources between the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and the Agency for the Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Program of El Salvador (OIPEN), cooperation agreements in the audiovisual industry, as well as the search for investors.

A week ago, Milei and Bukele met at the United Nations General Assembly and gave speeches in which they postulated their anti-globalist vision.

While the Argentine leader accused the UN of promoting “collectivist policies (…) under the mandate of the 2030 Agenda,” the Salvadoran said that the world “is divided, worried, hostile and without hope.”

Furthermore, Argentina and El Salvador were two of the 15 countries that abstained from supporting the Pact for the Future.

Milei and Bukele are two high-profile international leaders who sell themselves as “outsiders,” that is, politicians who do not come from the establishment. Although their paths are very different, both came to power with a speech against the elites: Milei, pointing to what he calls the political caste—the traditional politicians who, according to him, are guilty of Argentina’s decline; Bukele, with a phrase as a flag: “Money is enough when no one is stealing.”

Both handle social networks like fish in water, which are a central part of their Government communication. The other side is its link with the press: in both countries, numerous human rights and journalist organizations they denounce attacks to freedom of expression and restriction of public information.

Regarding the economy, their policies are practically opposite. While Milei is betting on the reduction of the State and fiscal adjustment, Bukele supports social policies such as tariff subsidies and price controls in different industries.

At the same time as the meeting between Milei and Bukele, the Argentine Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, shared activities with her counterpart, Gustavo Villatoro.

Villatoro said that his technical teams hold biweekly meetings to exchange knowledge on the subject.

In June of this year, Bullrich traveled to El Salvador to learn more about the model applied in the fight against gangs and organized crime, which resulted in the signing of a cooperation agreement with “joint training between security forces” and the creation of “a security policy laboratory to keep updated numbers from Argentina, El Salvador and any other country that decides to join it.”

However, it is difficult to find common points between the problem of insecurity in Argentina compared to that of El Salvador, which, at the time of Bukele’s arrival to power, had a rate of 53 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants per year, according to data from the government, coinciding with reports from the United Nations, while in Argentina from that year to the present the rate averages 5 per 100,000 inhabitants, with a sustained decline to date.

The security policies of the “Bukele method” were denounced by the press, analysts and international observers for arbitrary arrests, home invasions, unfair judicial procedures and deaths of detainees.

In this sense, Villatoro told that in El Salvador there is a rule of law with a criminal justice system. “We are not killing gang members or terrorists, we are subjecting them to a process,” he explained without giving a report on the accusations.

In addition to the chancellor and Villatoro, the Salvadoran president is accompanied in the delegation by the secretary of the Presidency, Sofía Medina; the ambassador of El Salvador in Argentina, Eduardo Cardoza; the president of the Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River, Daniel Álvarez; the president of the Autonomous Port Executive Commission (CEPA), Federico Anliker; the Minister of Culture, Raúl Castillo; the head of the Presidential General Staff, Manuel Acevedo López, and the president of the Investment and Export Agency (INVEST), Rodrigo Ayala.

This Tuesday, Bukele will visit the Legislative Palace, where he will meet with the Vice President of the Nation and President of the Senate, Victoria Villarruel, and with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem.

Lastly, according to official informationBukele and his entourage will meet with a group of Argentine investors.