Spain recalls ambassador to Argentina as diplomatic spat deepens

Spain is recalling its ambassador to Argentina, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Tuesday, amid an escalating diplomatic row between the two nations.

The row began on Sunday after Argentinian libertarian populist President Javier Milei called Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, “corrupt” at an event in Madrid organised by the far-right VOX party, where he also reportedly called Sánchez a “scumbag”.

Last month, a judge opened an investigation against Gómez for alleged corruption after a far-right union filed a complaint that it later said was based on right-wing media reports, Euractiv´s partner EFE reported.

While prosecutors have since called for the corruption investigation to be dropped due to a lack of evidence, and Gómez has denied any wrongdoing, the complaint and subsequent investigation forced Sánchez to suspend his public duties for five days at the end of April to “reflect” on whether to resign in the face of the “scandalous” and “false” accusations against his wife. This led to his confirmation on 29 April that he would not resign.

Commenting on Milei’s recent remarks about the turn of events, Albares (PSOE/S&D) told a press conference following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that since he had not apologised for the disparaging remarks, Argentina would “go on without an ambassador” from Spain.

“We are facing a unique case not only for this government but also in the history of international and diplomatic relations,” Albares said, adding that “collaboration is always more powerful than confrontation”.

“There are no precedents of a head of state going to the capital of another country to insult its institutions” and to make a “flagrant interference in internal affairs”, he said, noting that “Spanish institutions do not make policy, much less foreign policy, through tweets or by participating in any ‘show’.”

Albares also said that Milei had not requested a meeting with any Spanish government officials despite the fact that it was his first visit to the country, as is customary with Latin American leaders.

After stressing that Spain had “no desire or interest” in an escalation with Argentina, Albares pointed out that Madrid had not caused the situation but was obliged to defend the “dignity and sovereignty of Spanish institutions”.

Milei’s response

The Spanish reaction was “nonsense”, Milei told TV channel LN+ on Tuesday, adding that Buenos Aires would not be recalling its ambassador to Spain before accusing Sánchez of having an “inferiority complex” and of being “arrogant”.

“He will become the laughingstock of the whole world for the clowning around he is doing as a consequence of a personal issue,” Milei said.

In an interview with Todo Noticias, Milei said he would not apologise because he was the one who was attacked.

“(Pedro Sánchez) is such a coward that he needed to send women to attack me for him,” Milei said, referring to statements made by Spain’s second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz and Spain’s Science Minister Diana Morant.

In reference to those remarks, Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría added on Tuesday that “in the 21st century, it is not a question of skirts or pants, but of respect” and that “women having a voice and autonomy is not cowardice; it’s equality.”

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)

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