MALVINAS BROADCAST
President Javier Milei delivered a nationwide broadcast on Thursday evening on the improved chances of regaining sovereignty over the Malvinas in the light of the United States revising its previous policy of neutrality, vowing sanctions for firms active or supporting those active in Malvinas waters. On Tuesday he defended his decision to use the national broadcast mechanism against critics whom he called “human shits,” arguing that nothing could be more important or strategic for national interests than the Malvinas cause. The nationwide broadcast was triggered by US President Donald Trump’s statement last Monday that Washington’s neutrality in the sovereignty dispute could be reviewed when asked about previous British media stories about US support no longer being automatic. Prior to the broadcast Milei’s week started with opening the American Congress of FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), where he urged a Grand Prix for Buenos Aires in order to be able to see Franco Colapinto in Argentina, followed on Tuesday by a Cabinet meeting dominated by the Malvinas issue, while that same Thursday included a flying visit to Chile to address the far right Foro de Madrid and meet up with his local counterpart José Antonio Kast, as well as US State Department undersecretary Sarah Rogers.
CHINA ANGRY
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the Argentine Ambassador to Beijing, Marcelo Suárez Salvia, to an urgent meeting over the hostile social network posts published by the government’s Digital Communication director Juan Pablo Carreira (aka ‘Juan Doe’) holding China responsible for the recent catastrophe in Nepal with over 1,000 deaths. Carreira maintained that the disaster had been caused by a Chinese state firm constructing a huge hydroelectric dam near a glacier on the frontier with Nepal, attributing the disaster to the “typical flaws of state organisation in industrial activity” and attributing other historic catastrophes to Communist regimes, concluding: “Communism kills.” The publication had already drawn a stiff protest from the Chinese Embassy in Argentina over the “malicious and groundless speculations” last Tuesday, underlining Beijing’s assistance to Nepal. Since Suárez Salvia was on holiday, Chargé d’Affaires Guillermo Alberto Simunovich went to the Chinese Foreign Ministry to hear their complaints, which also included the exclusion of Chinese companies from international tenders and the “contacts of officials of the Milei government with the representatives of Taiwan,” all harming Sino-Argentine relations.
BESSENT’S BLESSING
Economy Minister Luis Caputo started the month with an upbeat meeting with his United States counterpart, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following Monday’s G20 summit of finance ministers and Central Bank chiefs in Asheville, North Carolina. “Argentina is heading a historic opportunity in the Western hemisphere,” said Bessent as he praised the economic policies of the Javier Milei administration which had drawn support from “the poorest sectors of society and youth.” The two ministers also exchanged views on the crisis in the Middle East. Apart from the summit itself, Caputo attended panels on sovereign debt, the world economy, global imbalances, the prevention of fraud and financial education. The minister was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Santiago Bausili and Economic Policy Secretary José Luis Daza.
2027 CAMPAIGN UP AND RUNNING
La Libertad Avanza formally kicked off the electoral campaign 14 months in advance just before last weekend by presenting Lisandro Catalán as their official gubernatorial candidate in Tucumán to 900 militants. Catalán, who was briefly national Interior minister last year, defiantly said: “I’m not going to be a gubernatorial candidate, I’m going to be the governor of Tucumán,” also presenting a “Shock Plan” election manifesto with structural reforms including progressive tax cuts, reduced legislative spending and municipal autonomy.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR HONOURED
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno last Tuesday decorated outgoing Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela with the Orden de Mayo al Mérito (Gran Cruz) for his four years of diplomatic service "taking the bilateral relationship up to its highest level since the arrival of President Javier Milei" (with whom Sela subsequently had an audience).
THIEL UNDER FIRE
A Congress hearing just before last weekend to analyse the presence of billionaire Peter Thiel in Argentina featured the opinions of artificial intelligence specialists, journalists, academics, human rights activists and environmental activists including three Perfil journalists – Juan Luis González, Giselle Leclercq and Buenos Aires Times Executive Director and Editorial Perfil Digital Director Agustino Fontevecchia with a focus on Thiel’s links with President Javier Milei and his flagship company Palantir Technologies.
MESSI RETIRES
The week began with a bang when around noon on Monday Lionel Messi ended two decades as an Argentine national team superstar by announcing his retirement. The tributes pouring in from both home and abroad were too numerous for this space but the official recognition from AFA Argentine Football Association was an order that football matches of every gender (male and female) and every kind (including indoor, five-a-side football, beach football, etc.) be halted in the 10th minute in accordance with the number of Messi’s shirt for a minute of applause. Messi departs international football after playing 207 matches and scoring 125 goals (both records) for the national squad while lifting two Copas América and the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
ENZO’S LIFE IN THE BIG CITY
Midfielder Enzo Fernández last Tuesday became the costliest purchase in Premier League history when Manchester City bought him from Chelsea for 146 million euros (and the fourth most expensive worldwide of all time). Chelsea had only to pay out a fraction of that sum to bag Enzo’s Argentine national squad teammate Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez, buying the goalkeeper from Aston Villa for less than nine million euros.
LEONAS STRIKE GOLD
The Argentine women’s field hockey team, universally dubbed ‘Las Leonas,’ won the World Cup of that sport in the Netherlands last Saturday by beating the host team 3-1 in penalties, following a 1-1 draw in full time after trailing almost all the match. The next day the Argentine men’s team claimed the bronze medal against the same Dutch opponents.
