Unease is spreading through Argentina’s foreign service after President Javier Milei warned Argentina’s diplomatic corps to align with his strident “defence of the ideas of freedom” or otherwise “step aside.”
In a letter addressed to Foreign Service officers, Milei stressed the need for all members of the diplomatic corps to adhere to the libertarian government's new priorities.
The text, sent last Friday through diplomatic channels, indicates that “no official of this administration or those who represent Argentina abroad should accompany any project, declaration, resolution, or document that establishes violations to the right to life, liberty and property; or unequal treatment before the law; values that are pillars of this new administration, of any citizen of the world.”
The warning to the diplomatic corps was condemned by critics as a “threat to pluralism.” It comes as the Milei administration seeks to re-align the foreign service with his libertarian, pro-West, anti-progressive ideology.
"Those who are not in a position to take on the challenges posed by the course adopted in defence of the ideas of freedom should step aside,” declared the President.
“The Argentine Republic will not support any measure that threatens” the “fundamental values of Western civilisation,” it adds.
The letter did not differentiate between those who are political appointees or permanent Foreign Service staff who are protected by Argentina’s Public Employment Law.
Milei denounces the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda as “a socialist supranational government programme” that “undermines the sovereignty of nation-states,” claiming it “violates people's right to life, liberty and property.”
‘Don’t insult us’
The tone of Milei's letter, which surprised everyone, has provoked unease among diplomats and in the corridors of the Palacio San Martín. Many have chosen not to make public statements in order not to “escalate the conflict,” reported Perfil this week.
Some, however, did raise their head above the parapet. “Don’t insult us,” wrote former ambassador Diego Guelar, who represented Argentina in the United States, China and the European Union.
Guelar, a veteran Peronist who later became a member of Mauricio Macri’s Juntos por el Cambio coalition, has supported Milei’s economic programme but is critical of his government’s culture wars approach to other issues.
Former deputy foreign minister Alberto D'Alotto also spoke out against the letter, describing Milei's “threatening tone” as “an affront to pluralism and respect for the opinions of others.”
“This is unprecedented in Argentine diplomatic history,’ D'Alotto said in an open letter published in Perfil.
The former diplomat, who served in Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's government, criticised the lack of respect for the professional experience of diplomats.
Departures
Argentina’s foreign service has been weakened by the departure of several top diplomatis in recent months.
Ricardo Lagorio, the nation’s ambassador to the United Nations, has stepped down after four decades of service following tensions with the Casa Rosada. The veteran diplomat will be replaced by Francisco Tropepi, who previously served as chargé d’affaires in Israel.
Deputy foreign minister Leopoldo Sahores has also stepped down in what is seen as the first of a series of changes to Foreign Minister Diana Mondino’s supporting cast. The Casa Rosada was directly involved in the appointment of two recent foreign service appointments: Nahuel Sotelo and Ursula Basset.
Tropepi's introduction reflects Milei's intention to strengthen ties even further with Israel and adopt a more critical stance towards multilateral organisations.
This was evident in his speech during the last UN General Assembly, where the president harshly criticised the consensus surrounding the 2030 Agenda, otherwise known as the “Pact for the Future.”
Milei wants to position Argentina internationally as a "beacon of the world" in terms of free markets and conservative social policies, which implies a significant change in the direction of the country's foreign policy, he says.
– TIMES/PERFIL
