Colombia expels Argentine diplomats after Milei calls President Gustavo Petro ‘terrorist’
- In Reports
- 10:39 PM, Mar 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Wednesday, Colombia's foreign ministry announced the expulsion of Argentine diplomats from their embassy in Bogota due to what they described as "denigrating" comments and actions deemed to have "offended the dignity" of their President, Gustavo Petro.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the ministry said “The Argentinian president’s comments have deteriorated the trust of our nation, in addition to offending the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected”.
In a recent interview with CNN broadcaster, Milei called Petro a "terrorist," "murderer," and "communist." The interview has not yet been aired in full.
“Mr Petro, well, you can’t expect much from someone who was a terrorist killer, a Communist,” said Milei during the interview.
“The Argentine president’s comments have deteriorated the trust of our nation, in addition to offending the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected,” said the Colombian foreign ministry.
During the interview, Milei also took a swipe at other leaders in the region including his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Colombia’s foreign ministry did not specify how many diplomats would be expelled from the Bogota embassy but said the expulsion would be communicated to Argentina through “diplomatic channels”.
This is not the first time that the Argentine president’s remarks have sparked a row between the two countries. In January, Colombia recalled its ambassador to Argentina after similar comments from Milei tagged Gustavo a “murderous communist who is sinking Colombia”.
At the time, Petro taking a shot at Milei said that those attacking him had “no idea what is communism and what is socialism.”
“We believe and want the means of production to be in the hands of the people and not the state,” said the Colombian president.
Milei was referring to Petro's past involvement with the long demobilised M-19 rebel movement during the CNN interview. Petro, who became Colombia's first left-wing president, had previously been a member of this armed group.
Relations between Colombia and Argentina have traditionally been stable, but they have begun to deteriorate since Milei was elected to office last November in a surprising vote. Milei had campaigned on radical promises such as abolishing the central bank and significantly reducing public spending, causing tension between the two countries.
Image source: Reuters
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