On August 4, the Brazilian government expelled Argentina’s ambassador, Daniel Raimondi. The decision comes after controversial remarks by Argentine President Javier Milei, who called Brazilian President Lula da Silva a “thief” during the campaign launch of Flávio Bolsonaro.
In addition, Brasília decided not to send its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, back to his post after recalling him as a protest measure.
This marks one of the lowest points in diplomatic relations between the two South American countries in recent history.
For now, diplomatic missions will be staffed solely by chargés d’affaires as long as Milei, according to a Brazilian government source who spoke to EFE, does not cease his attacks against his Brazilian counterpart.
The controversy began during the event where Flávio Bolsonaro was proclaimed the next presidential candidate for Brazil’s radical right. He is the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently in prison for leading an attempted coup (although the Bolsonaros deny this and claim it is political persecution).
Milei attended that rally, held on Brazilian soil, as Bolsonaro’s guest of honor and publicly endorsed a candidate – something unprecedented in recent history between the two South American nations. “I believe there is no one else capable of eliminating the threat posed by Lula, which hangs over Brazil like the Sword of Damocles … We’re counting on you, Flávio, to stop that socialist trash,” said the Argentine president.
Read more: Milei sparks diplomatic crisis with attacks on Lula at Bolsonaro campaign rally
Brazil lodged a complaint with Argentina, but President Milei, upon returning to his country, did not apologize for his remarks and doubled down on his accusations: “Do you know who put the most money into this anti-Argentine campaign? The Brazilian government. 25% of the funds came from Brazil, and then they talk about interference – the very same people who also played a very active role in the 2023 (Argentine presidential) campaign … They forget that (progressive Peronist candidate Sergio) Massa’s advisors were a group of Brazilians sent by Lula,” said the Argentine president.
Following this, the Brazilian government explained to the newspaper La Nación that Milei’s statements were intolerable given what is expected of a leader of a neighboring nation and that they had no choice but to take the diplomatic action described above: “We were very patient; we did not respond, but we believe that the repeated insults toward the [Brazilian] president make this decision inevitable.”
For its part, the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in an official communiqué: “The Argentine Republic takes note of the decision adopted unilaterally by the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and regrets its decision to continue isolating itself from the rest of the region over purely ideological issues.”
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