The insulting remarks of the Argentine President, Javier Milei, against the wife of Pedro Sánchez pushed Madrid to permanently recall its ambassador. Despite an unprecedented crisis, the actual breakdown of diplomatic relations remains uncertain.
The escalation continues between Madrid and Buenos Aires. Tuesday May 21, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced in the Council of Ministers the definitive departure of the Spanish ambassador to Argentina, María Jesús Alonso. She had already been back in Madrid 48 hours ago. Recalled after the provocative remarks made on May 19 by Argentine President Javier Milei against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife Begoña Gómez, whom he called “corrupt”. The latter is subject to a preliminary investigation for “corruption” And “Bribery” which has already caused a lot of ink to flow in Spain, particularly under the leadership of the right. True to his reputation as a troublemaker, the Argentine president put a coin back into the machine and refused to issue a public apology despite the diplomatic crisis that followed.
“It is an unprecedented fact to see a head of state come to the capital of another country to insult its institutions and to commit clear interference in its internal affairs,” castigated the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, while the Argentine head of state made his remarks before the congress bringing together the global extreme right gathered in Madrid by the opposition party Vox. For Gérard Guillerm, researcher at the Institute for Advanced Latin American Studies (IHEAL), Javier Milei has, at a minimum, “broke one of the rules of international diplomacy, which requires a sitting president not to attend a public meeting organized by an opposition party abroad.” In addition to his 72-hour visit, the head of state did not meet either Pedro Sánchez or King Felipe VI.
“Neither a departure from the road, nor a provocation”
A stroke of brilliance or a simple slip-up? Javier Milei’s real motivations remain unclear. “There was probably no objective, nor perhaps even a desire for provocation, explains Jean-Louis Martin, economist and associate researcher on Latin America at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri). The costs of such an attitude do not matter to him, he mainly enjoys expressing himself in this way.” Since his electoral campaign and his election in November, Javier Milei’s naturally provocative character and controversial outings have regularly caused controversy.
“It is a statement made with conviction, Conversely, believes Christophe Ventura, specialist in Latin America and research director at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (Iris). I do not believe that this is either a departure from the road, nor a provocation, it corresponds to an asserted and structured political and ideological line. The South American statesman maintains tense relations with the Spanish Prime Minister, support of Sergio Massa, his political rival, during the last presidential elections. Guest on the Argentine channel LN + following Madrid’s declarations, Javier Milei once again castigated Pedro Sánchez, describing the Spanish representative as “coward” and of “arrogant socialist”. “We should not underestimate his anti-communist fanaticism, since he loathes communists, soft liberals or social democrats with whom he equates Pedro Sánchez,” adds Christophe Ventura.
A first in relations between the two States
Despite his refusal to apologize or work for a de-escalation of tensions, the Argentine president ensured the maintenance of his ambassador in Spain. For the moment, it is difficult to establish how long Madrid will maintain its diplomatic distance. “I do not believe that Spain will give in, it is its credibility which is at stake after such a decision, believes Christophe Ventura. We entered into a strained relationship for at least a while.”
For Jean-Louis Martin, the decision remains above all symbolic and “allows us to show the extreme discontent of the Spanish authorities. However, the diplomatic crisis will end with the sending of an ambassador in a few weeks, or at most a few months. Javier Milei having only been president since December and for a term until 2027, “it is hard to imagine that the breakdown of relationships could last so long”, confirms Gérard Guillerm.
“Cultural and economic links of all kinds”
One of the major questions posed by this simulacrum of rupture is the continuity of the privileged commercial relations between the two States. “Javier Milei aims to privatize more and more economic sectors, and there is a strong presence of Spanish companies that could be interested and want to invest, notes Jean-Louis Martin. Spain will not be able to do without a representative.” Christophe Ventura agrees: “Spanish companies risk experiencing more complications, they will no longer have on-site relays and less facilitation by local institutions. We can also imagine difficulties with visas, for example.” Javier Milei, through his boundless confidence in a neoliberalism fiercely opposed to any form of state intervention, wanted to brush aside concerns: “There has long been a structural relationship […] and cultural and economic links of all kinds, which are maintained by individuals, so these links will continue.
Beyond Spanish interests, “by vexing Madrid”, the Argentine president also threatens “its relations with the European Union”, underlines Christophe Ventura. The head of Argentine diplomacy, Diana Mondino, also tried to calm the growing political crisis on Tuesday: “The personal relationship that may or may not exist between leaders cannot and should not affect the bilateral relationship.” Not sure that Madrid hears it the same way.
