Argentina’s Milei fires foreign minister for opposing US embargo on Cuba
Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has dismissed his foreign minister, Diana Mondino, following the country’s vote at the United Nations to lift the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.
Argentina was among 187 nations that supported the non-binding UN resolution on Wednesday, with only the U.S. and Israel voting against it.
This marked the first instance since Milei took office that Argentina did not align itself with the U.S. and Israeli governments.
Mondino has been succeeded by Gerardo Werthein, the ambassador to Washington. In a statement, President Milei’s office emphasized that Argentina is “categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship.”
Under the previous left-wing Peronist administration, Argentina maintained close ties with Cuba, advocating for the end of the U.S. embargo that has been in place since the 1960s when Cuba embraced communism.
In return, Cuba has consistently backed Argentina’s claims of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. This dispute led to a brief but intense war between Britain and Argentina in 1982.
Following the appointment, President Milei’s office released a statement aimed at clarifying the political vision guiding his foreign policy.
“The country is going through a period of profound changes and this new stage requires that our diplomatic corps reflect in each decision the values of freedom, sovereignty and individual rights that characterise Western democracies,” it said.
The statement went on: “Our country is categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship and will remain firm in promoting a foreign policy that condemns all regimes that perpetrate human rights violations.”
Friction had been growing between the president and the foreign ministry over a range of issues in recent months, observers say.
However, Mondino was seen as important to Argentina’s public image abroad, often stepping in to defuse tensions after confrontational statements made by Milei had upset other nations.
The US trade embargo was first imposed in 1962 in the wake of the revolution in Cuba, which swept Fidel Castro to power.
Washington wanted to force the island to reject Castro’s socialist policies and embrace capitalism and democracy.
However, the embargo has failed to achieve that objective and has become a bone of contention between Washington and its neighbours in the region.
