Spain has “definitively” recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires, in a rapidly escalating row over comments made in Madrid by Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
President Milei said the decision was “absurd”.
At a far-right rally on Sunday, he had described the wife of Spain’s left-wing prime minister Pedro Sánchez as “corrupt”, without directly naming Begoña Gómez.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares summoned Argentina’s ambassador Roberto Bosch the next day to demand a public apology from President Milei, but no action was taken.
Mr Albares described the case as unique in diplomatic history. “There is no precedent for a head of state who goes to another country’s capital to insult its institutions and flagrantly interfere in its internal affairs,” he said.
Spain had initially withdrawn its envoy, María Jesús Alonso, at the weekend for consultations but the foreign minister said on Tuesday that the ambassador would now remain in Madrid indefinitely. Argentina would no longer have a Spanish envoy, he said.
Mr Milei had been invited to the Europa Viva 24 conference by Spanish far-right party Vox, along with several other political leaders, ahead of European Parliament elections in three weeks’ time.
While other far-right leaders spoke about migration and strong borders, President Milei targeted socialism, Spain’s Socialist prime minister, and his wife.
“When you have a corrupt wife, let’s say, it gets dirty,” he said.
Last month, Pedro Sánchez threatened to resign when a preliminary inquiry was opened into allegations of corruption against Begoña Gómez made by a right-wing anti-corruption group. No charge has been levelled against her and the public prosecutor in Madrid said the case should be shelved for lack of evidence. (BBC)