Insults and expelled employees: how the diplomatic crisis between Petro and Milei intensified

The ideological distance between the governments of Colombia It is Argentina It worsened and became a diplomatic crisis that included insults between leaders Gustavo Petro and Javier Milei and even caused the expulsion of diplomats from Colombian soil.

TO LOOK: Petro accuses Milei of seeking to destroy the Latin American integration project

Relations became tense after the broadcast of excerpts from an interview with the American network CNN in which Milei harshly criticized Petro. “You can’t expect much from someone who was a terrorist murderer,” said the libertarian president in the conversation that will be released in full on Sunday.

The Colombian response was immediate. The left-wing government ordered this Wednesday, the 27th, the expulsion of diplomats from the Argentine embassy, ​​without clarifying who will be subject to the measure.

Itamaraty assured that “on behalf of the Government of Colombia, it repudiates the statements made by Mr. Javier Milei, President of Argentina (…) in which he expressed himself in a degrading manner against the first leader of Colombians, the respected Mr. Gustavo Petro.”

On Wednesday, the 27th, the Petro government ordered the expulsion of diplomats from the Argentine embassy, ​​without clarifying who will be subject to the measure. (Photo: AFP) (DISCLAIMER/)

He also emphasized that these words “deteriorated the confidence of our nation, in addition to offending the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected”.

Colombian media highlighted that the expulsion of employees is not a common measure in Colombia, which reflects the severity of the crisis.

The Efe agency highlights that the most recent case was the expulsion, in December 2020, of two diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Bogotá accused of “activities incompatible” with their position for allegedly carrying out military intelligence tasks.

Petro was supported by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was also the target of criticism from Milei.

“I believe that Milei intends to destroy, or at least postpone, the Latin American integration project. Today the Argentine people suffer and poverty is increasing”, stated this Thursday 28 Petro em X.

Thank you André Manuel @lopezobrador_ I believe that Milei seeks to destroy, or at least postpone, the Latin American integration project. Today the Argentine people suffer and poverty increases. Milei’s promise to repeat the neoliberal system of 30 years ago may be a failure… https://t.co/dHOcE19hUC

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 28, 2024

He added that Milei’s promise to repeat the neoliberal system of 30 years ago “could be a predicted failure” and said that the Argentine’s thesis “in the world that has seen today how neoliberalism has led to worsening the climate crisis, and putting us at risk. limit as a species, of extinction, is not correct. “It is the Argentine people who must discuss these issues and decide.”

Colombia recalled that this is not the first time that Milei has attacked Petro with negative qualifiers. In a statement in January, Milei called Petro “a murderous communist” who is “sinking” his country, prompting the Colombian government to recall the Colombian ambassador to Argentina, Camilo Romero, for consultations.

Itamaraty explained on that occasion that these statements “ignore and violate the deep ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation that have historically united Colombia and Argentina”.

Amid the tensions, Milei also stated that she has suffered complaints from the Colombian president. “I leave you with some things that Petro told me”, said the Argentine in a message on X.

HERE I LEAVE SOME THINGS THAT PETRO TOLD ME…

Confrontation between Petro and Milei after the Colombian president compared the ultra to Hitler https://t.co/1iouzdaAoq via @the country

-Javier Milei (@JMilei) March 28, 2024

In September 2023, Milei, then a presidential candidate, told the press that a socialist “is trash” and “human excrement”. Petro reacted on his social media saying: “That’s what Hitler said.”

At that time, Petro openly supported Milei’s rival, Sergio Massa, and when the La Libertad Avanza candidate was elected president last October, the Colombian president classified his victory as “sad for Latin America”.

The Colombian also compared Milei to dictators Jorge Videla, from Argentina, and Augusto Pinochet, from Chile.

Colombian Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco stated that Milei owes an apology to Colombia and his own country and maintained that being a “city bully” should never be the behavior of a head of state.”

“The problem is not with the Argentine people, the problem lies in the blatant attitude of their president who offends the Colombian people and who owes his own people an explanation. “You cannot go around the world with this type of attitudes and accusations against someone who represents the unity of the State, the unity of the people of another country,” he told Rádio Caracol.

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, harshly criticized the Petro. (Photo: AFP) (JUAN MABROMATA/)

Velasco considered that Milei’s words were “some balloons so that people don’t talk about the difficult situation that obviously many Argentines are going through and that hurts us”, he said in reference to the economic crisis and high inflation affecting Argentina.

Source: Elcomercio