“It is not the first time that Mr. Milei offends the Colombian presidentaffecting the historical relations of brotherhood between Colombia and Argentina,” recalls the Foreign Ministry.
He also points out that these expressions and other previous ones by the Argentine president “have eroded the confidence of our nationin addition to offending the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected.”
This is not the first scuffle between Milei and Petro, located at ideological opposites, but This is the furthest time this crisis has gone.since the expulsion of diplomatic personnel is a measure rarely used by the Colombian Government.
The most recent case in memory was the expulsion, in December 2020, of two diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Bogotá accused of “incompatible activities” with his position for, supposedly, carrying out military intelligence tasks.
Constant quarrels
On January 26, the Government of Colombia called its ambassador in Argentina, Camilo Romero, for consultationsafter Milei said that Petro “is a murderous communist who is sinking” the country.
The Foreign Ministry detailed on that occasion in a statement that these statements, made in an interview with journalist Patricia Janiot, “ignore and violate the deep ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation that have historically united Colombia and Argentina” and that is why it called, “immediately, to consult with Ambassador Camilo Romero.”
A month later, on February 24, the Colombian Government once again expressed its “strong rejection” of what he described as “irresponsible statements” of Milei for a new offense against Petro, whom he referred to as “a plague.”
In that occasion, The Colombian television channel NTN24 approached Milei when leaving the annual convention of the American right held in National Harbor (Maryland)where he was supported by former US President Donald Trump.
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When asked by a journalist what he thinks of Petro, Milei said: “That is sinking Colombiansthat is, it is a lethal plague for the Colombians themselves.”
The relationship between Petro and Milei has never been good and even since the second was a presidential candidate, the Colombian president attacked him for his derogatory comments about the socialists, comparing his ideas with those of Hitler.
During the last Argentine electoral campaign, Petro openly supported the social network X to 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.”
Besides, The Colombian head of state has compared Milei to the dictators Jorge Videla, of Argentina, and Augusto Pinochet, of Chile, something for which he was also criticized at the time.