Spain's embassy stands in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, May 20, 2024. Before starting a three-day visit to Madrid on Friday, Argentine President Javier Milei triggered a diplomatic crisis with Spain after accusing its government of bringing “poverty and death†to Spain and weighing in on corruption allegations against the prime minister's wife. Milei did not meet with government officials. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – Spain on Tuesday said it was pulling its ambassador from Argentina in response to comments made by Argentine President Javier Milei, who accused the Spanish prime minister’s wife of corruption and described socialism as “cursed and carcinogenic.”
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told reporters Tuesday that the Spanish ambassador to Argentina “will definitely stay in Madrid.”
“Argentina will continue without an ambassador,” he said.
Milei responded angrily to the move, saying the withdrawal was “nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist.”
“Socialists are capable of doing anything,” he added.
The decision further escalates a diplomatic spat between the socialist Spanish government and the right-wing Argentine government.
