The Diplomat
The Argentinian president, Javier Milei, yesterday sounded out senior executives of Spanish companies with interests in Argentina about their plans for the future in the country and told them of his intention to press ahead with his economic programme.
Milei, who arrived in Madrid on Friday, went to the Argentinean Embassy in Spain yesterday morning, where he met, behind closed doors, with a group of representatives of companies with a strong presence in the country, such as Telefónica, Santander, BBVA, Mapfre and Indra, among others. The president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, was present at the meeting.
During the meeting, the Argentinian president tried to convey a message of calm to the fifteen or so businessmen who attended the meeting and to make it clear to them that his desire is to involve foreign companies in investment projects in Argentina.
Milei wants to implement legislation that favours stability and legal certainty, thus turning the page on cases such as the expropriation in May 2012 of YPF from Repsol by the government of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, for which Argentina was ordered to pay 16 billion dollars.
The Argentinian leader highlighted to the Spanish executives the change in the business climate in Argentina and the measures adopted by his cabinet to recover the country’s financial credibility, such as the announcement of debt reduction, spending cuts and subsidies and the economic orthodoxy initiatives to reduce inflation and recover growth.
Since taking office, the Argentinian president has worked to re-establish Argentina’s connections with the business community in order to sell the country as an economically stable territory where businessmen can bring their investments.
On his arrival at the embassy, activists from the Femen organisation set up a demonstration in front of the diplomatic complex to denounce the murder of three lesbian women in Argentina a few days ago.
At the same time, a rally took place in the centre of Madrid under the slogan ‘The ultra-right is not welcome’ to stage the rejection of Milei.
Milei also held a meeting yesterday with the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, whom he will accompany today at the Europa VIVA24 Festival, together with other European leaders of parties on the more radical right.
