Argentina’s Milei fires foreign minister over UN vote on Cuba

Prior to being dismissed, Diana Mondino voted in favor of ending the US embargo against the island nation

Argentine President Javier Milei has fired Foreign Affairs Minister Diana Mondino after she supported a resolution to lift the US embargo on Cuba at the UN General Assembly.

The move was announced by Milei’s office in a press statement. While the statement did not directly link Mondino’s dismissal with the UN vote, it was released shortly after it and included a lengthy description of the administration’s position on Cuba.

“Argentina is going through a period of profound changes… our diplomatic corps should reflect in each decision the values of freedom, sovereignty and individual rights that characterize Western democracies,” the statement read, adding that the country “is categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship” and “will remain firm in promoting a foreign policy that condemns” regimes such as this. Milei’s office also warned that it will conduct an audit of the Foreign Ministry’s staff in order to root out “promoters of agendas hostile to freedom.”

Mondino was one of Milei’s first confirmed cabinet members and his top ally during last year’s presidential campaign. She will be replaced with Gerardo Werthein, who had been the ambassador to the US.

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Earlier on Wednesday, the UN once again called on Washington to end its decades-long sanctions regime on Cuba in a non-binding resolution. An overwhelming majority of 187 countries voted in favor of the move, while only the US and Israel voted against it, with Moldova abstaining.

Milei has repeatedly pledged to align his country’s policies with those of the US since taking office in December 2023. He has also distanced the country from Cuba, as well as Nicaragua and Venezuela, accusing their leaders of being “despicable dictators.” Under Milei, Argentina has formally rejected an invitation to become a member of the BRICS group of nations, in a U-turn from the policy of his predecessor, Alberto Fernandez.

Argentina, Latin America’s third largest economy, is in the grip of a severe economic crisis after decades of mounting debt and financial mismanagement. An estimated 55% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line, while inflation is among the highest in the world.

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The ‘shock therapy’ reforms announced by Milei when he took office and aimed at stabilizing the economy have so far been unsuccessful, as Argentina’s economy sank deeper into recession in the second quarter of this year, with GDP plunging by 1.7%, according to government data.