<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Argentine President Javier Milei will once again ignore state or government representatives on his third visit to Spain. The visit will be private and will begin this weekend as part of an official tour of several European countries and Israel.</strong></h4> The Argentine president begins a European tour this Friday that includes official visits to Italy, France, and Israel, an audience with Pope Leo XIV, and a double private visit to Spain. In Rome, Milei will be received by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and will attend the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the state-owned oil company YPF and the Italian company ENI. He will also be received in audience with Pope Leo XIV this Saturday. That same Saturday, Milei, accompanied by Argentine Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, will travel to Madrid, where the following day, June 8, he will participate in the closing ceremony of the Madrid Economic Forum 2025 (MEF25), Spain's largest economic event, to be held on June 7 and 8 at the Vistalegre Palace in Madrid. That same day, he will travel to Nice, where he will be received by French President Emmanuel Macron. On Wednesday, June 11, Milei will deliver a speech before the Israeli Parliament and will be awarded the Genesis Prize (the "Jewish Nobel Prize") for his support of Israel. The following day, he will sign a memorandum of understanding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That same day, he will return to Madrid, where on Friday, June 13, he will receive the Salamanca School Award. The tour will conclude on Saturday, June 14, with a breakfast with business leaders at the Argentine Embassy in Spain. This is Milei's third trip to Spain and, like the previous ones (and unlike her visits to Italy, the Vatican, France, and Israel), it will be private and will not include any meetings with the King or the Prime Minister. <h5><strong>Previous Visits</strong></h5> The first trip took place on May 17, 2024, and generated a serious diplomatic crisis between Spain and Italy due to Milei's participation in an event organized by Vox in which, without specifically mentioning the Prime Minister or his wife, Begoña Gómez, but in clear reference to both, she lashed out against "socialism" and against "people entrenched in power (...) even when they have a corrupt wife and take five days to think about it." The Argentine president's remarks came days after statements by Transport Minister Óscar Puente, suggesting that Milei "ingested substances," sparked an initial diplomatic clash between Madrid and Buenos Aires. Following Milei's remarks, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares recalled his ambassador in Buenos Aires, María Jesús Alonso, for consultations and demanded an apology from the Argentine president. Milei returned to Spain on June 21 to receive the Juan de Mariana Freedom Award. During this second trip, he received the International Medal of the Community of Madrid from the regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, before whom he lashed out at politicians who "have porous hands," whether "directly, from a sibling, or from a partner." These words were interpreted in very different ways (since they could apply both to Sánchez, as Milei intended, and to Díaz Ayuso herself). The Argentine president's spokesperson stated a few days ago that he had not planned any meetings with members of the Spanish government. Milei apparently requested a direct reception by the King from the Royal Household, but the Zarzuela Palace reminded the Royal Family that matters related to foreign policy are the responsibility of the Government, and therefore, such requests should be directed to the Moncloa Palace. In this regard, Albares stated that, "without a doubt," Milei's trip was "a private visit" and that, "since Spain only has one foreign policy, everything related to that foreign policy is carried out in coordination with the State institutions, including the Royal Household."
