Spain says recall of Argentina ambassador ‘permanent’ as spat intensifies
Al Jazeera
Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei says decision to recall envoy ‘absurd’ and calls Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez ‘arrogant’.
Spain says the withdrawal of its ambassador to Argentina will be “permanent”, as a diplomatic spat between the two countries continues to escalate following derogatory remarks by far-right Argentinian President Javier Milei.
“The ambassador will permanently stay in Madrid,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters on Tuesday, using stronger diplomatic parlance than in previous days.
“We have no interest in nor desire for any escalation, but it’s the government’s obligation to defend the dignity and sovereignty of Spanish institutions, especially when the aggression occurs in the capital of Spain.”
The Spanish government recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires after Milei levied corruption allegations against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife Begona Gomez during an event in Madrid.
“The global elites don’t realise how destructive it can be to implement the ideas of socialism … even if you have a corrupt wife, let’s say, it gets dirty, and you take five days to think about it,” Milei said.
