Spain calls its ambassador in Argentina for consultations after new criticism from Milei to Pedro Sánchez

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, opened a new diplomatic front with Spain on Sunday by criticizing the president of the government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, and his wife, whom he called “corrupt,” in his speech at an event of the party of far-right Vox in Madrid.

“They don’t know what type of society and country (socialism) can produce and what kind of people screwed to power and what levels of abuse it can generate. Even if he has a corrupt wife, he gets dirty and takes five days to think about it,” she said in reference to the period in which Sánchez reflected about continuity in office last month following accusations of alleged corruption against his wife, Begoña Gómez.

Just a few hours later, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, accused Milei of responding to “hospitality (…) with a frontal attack on our democracy, our institutions and Spain”, and announced the call for consultations “ sine die” by the Spanish ambassador to Argentina, María Jesús Alonso.

“Milei, with his behavior, has brought relations between Spain and Argentina to their most serious moment in our recent history,” Albares stated in his statement, in which he demanded a public apology from the Argentine president.

According to Albares, Milei’s words “are unprecedented in the history of international relations, and even less so in the relations between two countries united by strong ties of brotherhood.”

Begoña Gómez was the subject of a legal investigation after a complaint from the conservative group Clean Hands, which accused her of using her position to influence business agreements. Later, Clean Hands acknowledged that the lawsuit was based on media reports and the Spanish prosecutor’s office indicated that it should be dismissed.

Milei’s criticism rekindled the diplomatic storm between Buenos Aires and Madrid, which had been easing on both sides in recent weeks after the Spanish Minister of Transportation, Óscar Puente, suggested that the Argentine president had “ingested substances.”

For his part, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borell – who once served as socialist minister in Spain – wrote on the social network “We condemn and reject them, especially when they come from partners.”

In his three days in Spain, Milei did not have any official meeting with the Sánchez government, but he did meet on several occasions with the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, whom he described as his “friend.”

Earlier on Sunday, Milei was received like a star and amid cries of “Freedom” at the “Live Europe 24” convention, in which the leader of the French National Rally, Marine Le Pen, also participated; the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, or that of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, among others. The event, with a marked electoral tone, took place on the eve of the European Parliament elections – which will be held between June 6 and 9 in the 27 countries of the EU – and in which analysts expect a surge in extreme right.

In his applauded speech, the Argentine president once again harshly criticized socialism, stating that “it is an ideology that goes directly against human nature and necessarily results in slavery or death. There is no other possible destiny. Opening the door to socialism is inviting to the death”.

The ultraliberal and far-right economist, who assumed the presidency of Argentina in December, stated that he sees in Europe and the United States “how small signs are appearing of the path that his country sadly took.”

“While socialism destroyed Argentina, free market capitalism literally saved the world. It remains to see the global economic history of the last 250 years and in particular of the last 100 years, to demonstrate it,” she stated.

His long speech, full of historical references, was constantly interrupted by the cheers of many Argentines present at the Vistalegre Arena Palace, on whose benches there were banners that read “Milei, you are the hope to return to my land” or that described the politician as the “lighthouse of the West”.

In his staunch defense of the free market, Milei assured that “whenever it has been tried” socialism was a failure “economically, socially, culturally and, on many occasions, a failure imposed on piles and piles of corpses and Names”.

While Milei and the other conservative leaders were taking a mass bath, a few kilometers away, in the center of Madrid, hundreds of left-wing activists participated in a demonstration against fascism in which, among other messages, they could see the phrase “Milei is hatred” on an Argentine flag.

“I am here because in Vistalegre we have a hate summit and we must fight against the fascists,” said Frank Erbroder, a Polish activist. “I am worried because Hitler won thanks to democracy, and I think we may have the same situation.”

Milei took advantage of his visit to Spain to present his book “The Way of the Libertarian”, as well as to meet with directors of Spanish companies and with Abascal, who leads the third most voted force in the country.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.