President Javier Milei and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are set to come face to face this week at the Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, a potential flashpoint in their increasingly strained relationship.
Milei is due to arrive in Spain on Tuesday night for the November 4-5 forum, where the two leaders will share several official engagements, including the opening ceremony, plenary sessions and official group photograph.
The encounter follows repeated attacks by Milei on Sánchez and his Socialist-led government, most notably during the President's previous visit to Spain, when he branded the Spanish leader a “dictator."
Diplomatic sources confirmed to the Noticias Argentinas news agency that no bilateral meeting between the two leaders is planned. However, their presence at the same official engagements will put them in close proximity just weeks after their latest public exchange.
Sánchez rekindled tensions on Monday with an apparent swipe at Milei and his government. Speaking at a political forum in Barcelona ahead of the summit, he declared: “Spain is governed from Spain, not from Washington, Tel Aviv, Moscow or Buenos Aires.”
The remarks came amid a sensitive electoral campaign ahead of Spain's November 29 general election, with Sánchez seeking to link opposition forces such as the conservative Partido Popular (PP) and far-right Vox to the political agenda of Milei's government.
“For the far right, conflict and confrontation are not merely a means of attaining power; they are an end in themselves,” Sánchez said in Catalonia, accusing what he called the “far-right international” of forging alliances to weaken Europe from within.
Milei will travel with his sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei, and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. The Argentine delegation is expected to hold contacts with Spanish government representatives and pursue initiatives aimed at strengthening Argentina's ties with Europe, reported NA.
The summit's agenda will focus on economic cooperation, sustainable development and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, among other issues.
– TIMES/NA
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