Martina Jaureguy This article was updated on November 18, 15:30 p.m. to reflect Argentina’s signing of the Global Alliance and on November 19, 9:45 a.m. to reflect Argentina’s signing of the world leaders’ final document
President Javier Milei’s arrival at the G20 World Leaders Summit was characterized by question marks on Monday, with doubts as to whether Argentina would sign key pacts of the multilateral gathering and tensions with host country Brazil.
Argentina ultimately joined a new Global Alliance against hunger and poverty — a flagship agreement of the summit promoted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — despite initial reports by international media that the country would be the sole detractor. A statement of commitment on Monday afternoon confirmed that the country would become a signatory, although it submitted a letter of dissent it described as “scene-setting.”
“The Argentine Republic, taking lessons from its own history, joins the Alliance against Hunger and Poverty while embracing the Agenda of Freedom, and hoping that other nations will do so as well,” says Argentina’s letter.
The document cites several passages from Milei’s speech at the World Economic Forum, where he praised “free enterprise capitalism” as “the only possible” and “morally desirable” system to end world poverty.
“Socialist policies violate the rights of individuals and, by suffocating the economies of those nation-states that implement them, keep causing an unsustainable underdevelopment that prevents any feasible fight against hunger and poverty,” the document said.
The foreign ministry did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment.
Albeit in “partial” disagreement, Milei also decided to sign the G20 world leaders’ final declaration. The president objected to the portion connected to the UN’s 2030 Agenda included in the text. This is the first time the Argentine government partially distances itself from the final document, said a communiqué released on Monday afternoon on the President’s Office account on X.
“If we want to fight hunger and eradicate poverty, the solution lies in getting the state out of the way,” the communiqué said. Voicing Milei’s view, the government added that the economy must be deregulated to “liberate the market and make trade easier.”
Milei arrived at the summit at 10:45 a.m. on Monday accompanied by his sister, Presidency Secretary Karina Milei. Milei and Da Silva greeted each other with a handshake, standing at arm’s length. Unlike with other leaders, Da Silva did not hug or kiss his Argentine counterpart. They briefly posed for a picture together before the Brazilian president sent Milei on his way into the forum. Milei has called Da Silva “corrupt” and “communist” on several occasions, even accusing him of “interfering” in Argentina’s 2023 election campaign.
Argentina made sharp turns in its international stances in recent months. Last week, it was the only member of the United Nations to vote against two draft resolutions: one on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the other on the protection of women and girls. Milei also recalled the Argentine delegation from the UN Climate Change Conference where financing opportunities were being discussed. In October, it was the only G20 country that refused to sign a statement on gender equality and women empowerment put forward by Brazil.
The country’s new course in foreign policy follows the dismissal of former Foreign Minister Diana Mondino after months of infighting and a UN vote in favor of Cuba. Her replacement, Gerardo Werthein, expressed that his role was to follow Milei’s directives to the letter and was appointed explicitly to align Argentina with the United States and Israel.
Da Silva and other world leaders present at the summit are pushing for a global alliance against poverty and hunger. This includes enacting policies to tax the super-rich, combat climate change, and promote gender equality — issues Milei sees as part of the “woke” agenda and has firmly rejected publicly.
Before returning to Argentina on Tuesday afternoon, Milei is scheduled to have several meetings. On Monday, he will meet World Bank President Ajay Banga, China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi, as well as International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
The meetings with India and, particularly, China are significant given that Milei rejected joining the BRICS economic bloc of developing countries as soon as he took office last December. At the time, Milei had said he didn’t want to trade with BRICS member countries such as Brazil and China because they were “communist.” Milei later mended his relationship with China after negotiating the renewal of a currency swap for US$5 million until 2026.