Argentine President Javier Milei welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday, who landed in Buenos Aires with a large diplomatic delegation. The aim was to strengthen relations between the two countries. They held a meeting at the Casa Rosada that lasted just over an hour in which they talked about the effects of the change of government and direction in Argentina, as well as the end of Kirchnerism.
🚨 | El presidente argentino Javier Milei recibió al secretario de Estado Antony Blinken en Buenos Aires y se mostró junto a él en el balcón de la Casa Rosada, la sede del Poder Ejecutivo en Argentina. 🇦🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6lviue2mfz
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'Argentina has decided to return to the side of the West'
Minutes before the meeting with U.S. diplomacy took place, Milei said that this visit is a clear sign that "Argentina has decided to return to the side of the West, to the side of progress, to the side of democracy and, above all things, to freedom." Realigning his country with Western allies was one of his main objectives since his election campaign began.
Blinken applauded this stance as soon as the meeting with Milei ended, stating that the meeting was "productive," noting "the strong desire on the part of the United States ... and Argentina to strengthen our relationship with Argentina."
Ukraine, Israel and dollarization in Argentina
Strengthening bilateral relations was not the only thing discussed at the Casa Rosada. Blinken and Milei agreed on other aspects of great global relevance, such as the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Feb. 24 marks two years since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The Argentine president did not hesitate to support both the actions of Volodymyr Zelensky and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Another of Milei's objectives is to dollarize the Argentine economy, that is, to declare the dollar as legal tender for financial and commercial transactions. In this regard, Blinken did not want to interfere and simply say that it is a decision for the Argentine government, in addition to talking about the trade agreements between both countries:
Dollarization depends on Argentina, of course we want to listen to the plan and talk more, but that is Argentina's decision. We see extraordinary opportunities in Argentina, but perhaps the most important and obvious thing is that Argentina has what the world needs and we want to be partners to help it provide food and energy to the world.
