Argentina’s Milei fired the foreign minister for opposing the US embargo on Cuba

The PRESIDENT of Argentina, Javier Milei, has fired his foreign minister, Diana Mondino, after the country voted to lift the US economic embargo on Cuba at the United Nations.

Argentina was one of 187 countries that supported the non-binding UN resolution on Wednesday. Only the US and Israel voted against the resolution.

It was the first time since Milei came to power that Argentina did not engage with the US and Israeli governments.

Mondino was replaced by the ambassador to Washington, Gerardo Werthein. Following this move, the office of President Milei said that Argentina is “strongly opposed to the Cuban dictator”.

Under the former Peronist regime, Argentina enjoyed close relations with Cuba, supporting the end of the economic pact, which was imposed by the US in the 1960s when Cuba embraced communism.

Cuba, in turn, has consistently supported Argentina’s claims of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. Britain and Argentina fought a short but bitter war over this area in 1982.

Later, President Milei’s office issued a statement aimed at expressing a political view of his foreign policy.

“The country is facing a period of profound changes and this new phase requires that our political leaders show in each decision the values ​​of freedom, sovereignty and individual rights that characterize Western democracy,” it said.

The statement continued: “Our country is totally opposed to the Cuban dictatorship and will continue to promote a foreign policy that condemns all regimes that commit human rights violations.”

Conflict has been growing between the president and the State Department over a number of issues in recent months, observers say.

However, Mondino was considered important to Argentina’s public profile abroad, often stepping in to ease tensions after Miley’s confrontational statements angered other nations.

The US trade agreement was first enacted in 1962 after the Cuban Revolution, which ousted Fidel Castro.

Washington wanted to force the island to reject Castro’s socialist policies and embrace capitalism and democracy.

However, the embargo has failed to achieve that goal and has become a bone of contention between Washington and its neighbors in the region.