Why Argentina and Spain had a falling out

Argentina and Spain share some cultural similarities, but now, just as an ocean separates them geographically, a split seems to have occurred between the two nations' diplomatic engagements. What began as a feud over comments made by Argentinian President Javier Milei has snowballed into Spain recalling its ambassador to Argentina. 

The ambassador, María Jesús Alonso Jiménez, will return to Madrid and Spain "won't [have] an ambassador in Buenos Aires" for the foreseeable future, said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, per Bloomberg. This marks a low point for the two countries, which have had mostly good relations since Argentina declared independence from Spain in the 1800s. How did the two nations get to this point and why is Milei at the center of the rift? 

What caused the feud? 

The incident appeared to stem from a series of comments made during a populist rally in Spain organized by the country's far-right Vox Party. The rally was attended by many populist world leaders including Milei, who gave a speech in which he called Spain's Socialist Party "cursed and carcinogenic." This caused a rift among Spanish officials given that the Socialist Party and its leader, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, currently control Spain's government. 

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The feud reached its main boiling point, though, when Milei began calling out Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez. Gómez is currently the subject of an influence-peddling and corruption investigation prompted by Spain's far-right coalition, though the investigation is seemingly unfounded and "Madrid's prosecuting authority has appealed to drop the case due to lack of evidence," Reuters said. However, Milei said Sánchez "has a corrupt wife," saying Spanish politics had gotten "dirty" as a result.

Spanish officials expressed outrage at Milei's speech, with Albares saying the words were a "frontal attack" on Spain. There is "no precedent for a leader coming to the capital of another country to insult its institutions," he said to reporters, per the Financial Times. Albares demanded that Milei apologize for the speech, but the Argentinian president refused. 

Instead, Milei accused Spain's leadership of working in tandem with Argentina's left-wing coalition. Upon the recall of Spain's ambassador, he called the move a "typical crazy [decision] for an arrogant socialist."

What's next for the two countries? 

The dispute "raises the potential for turbulence for investment and the economy," said the Financial Times, as "Spanish businesses are the second-largest investors in Argentina after U.S. companies." This could prove to be problematic for economic harmony between both countries. When it comes to pumping money into Argentina, Spanish companies "invested 140 million euros ($152 million) in the country in 2022. Some 495,000 Spaniards live in Argentina, according to Spanish government statistics, while 97,000 Argentines reside in Spain," said The Associated Press. The recalling of the ambassador could make Spanish brands think twice about further investments. 

Beyond economic hurt, the feud will likely worsen the already deepening divide between Spain and Argentina diplomatically. The recalling of the ambassador "escalates a long-running diplomatic spat" that began when Sánchez "backed [Milei's] left-wing opponent in last year's presidential election and declined to congratulate Milei on his victory," said the AP. The continuation of the spat indicates that Milei is hoping for more support on his right-wing side — particularly, if a certain former American president were to make it back into the White House in 2025. 

Milei "might be sensing that the socialist party has short legs, and so he's trying to prepare Argentina to get a really close ally when Spain gets a right-wing government, in the same way he's betting on Trump," Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, said to the AP. As a result, Milei "is taking gambles, taking risks." 

While Spain may be upset, in Argentina, the public is "reacting to it with a bemused shrug," said Politico. While Milei has only been in office six months, Argentinians are "already accustomed to their president fighting with political leaders around the world," including Mexico's president, Colombia's president and Pope Francis. 

Milei is a "crazy person, he can't help it," Luis, an Argentinian office worker, said to Politico. "It's not like we don't have problems at home … but he's a showman, and I guess we're entertained."