The president-elect of Argentina, Javier Milei, explained his economic program to the United States National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in a meeting of about an hour in the Eisenhower Executive Building of the White House on Tuesday. According to the incipient president, he also presented to senior US officials “the new framework” of Argentina in “nations that respect freedom.” The meeting was also attended by President Joe Biden’s advisor for Latin America, Juan González, and the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols.
In a message on social networks, accompanied by a photograph with his team of advisors who attended the meeting, the ultra Milei described the event as “an excellent meeting.” “We have talked about the economic and social situation in Argentina at this moment,” he told the media in brief statements after leaving the presidential residence in Washington and shortly before embarking on his return flight to Buenos Aires.
Accompanying the budding president were his sister and right-hand woman, Karina Milei; the future Chief of Staff, Nicolás Posse; the businessman Gerardo Werthein, a personal friend of Bill Clinton and whose name is rumored to be the next Argentine ambassador in Washington; the former Macrista Finance Secretary and possible Minister of Economy in the new Cabinet, Luis Caputo, and the communication strategist Santiago Caputo. The United States ambassador in Buenos Aires, Mark Stanley, was also present.
Milei “expressed during the meeting his view on the international geopolitical agenda aligned with the West and his defense of the values of freedom,” indicates a statement from the president-elect’s office. For his part, Sullivan “expressed the willingness of the United States to collaborate in the transition of the incoming Argentine government in the face of the challenging political, economic and social situation that the country is going through,” according to the Argentine version of the meeting.
Initially, it had been planned that the winner of the Argentine elections, after defeating the Peronist Sergio Massa ten days ago, would also have met during his visit to Washington with officials from the International Monetary Fund, although in the end only his economic advisors attended that meeting. Milei had already held a meeting by videoconference last Friday with the director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva. Argentina received a large loan of $44 billion from this organization in 2018, but has been unable to repay it in a timely manner even after renegotiating the conditions.
Before the meeting, the White House had already announced its interest in hearing from the leader of La Libertad Avanza what his economic and political government program will be. “Argentina is a dynamic partner on this continent for many issues. “We are looking forward to hearing the president-elect’s ideas and seeing where he wants to go on policy issues, and ensuring that we keep the lines of communication open,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had stated on Monday, confirming the meeting.
While in New York, Milei had lunch with Democratic Senator Chris Dodd and former US President Bill Clinton. Her first act in the Big Apple had been a visit to the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, better known as “the Lubavitch rebbe.” It is a sacred place for Judaism, which Milei had previously visited to ask for his blessing to be elected president of Argentina.
The visit to Washington and New York is the first by the Argentine president-elect after his electoral victory, and provides a clear indication of what the new government’s foreign policy priorities will be. Milei has insisted throughout his campaign that his main allies will be the United States and Israel. She has also promised to distance herself from China, a major trading partner of her country and with which the Government of Alberto Fernández maintained excellent relations. Among other things, she has rejected the possibility of the Southern Cone country joining the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), something that his predecessor did favor.
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