Liliana Franco President Javier Milei will travel to Rome on December 13 to take part in an event organized by the ruling Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party at the invitation of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Casa Rosada sources told the Herald’s sister publication Ámbito.
The Argentine leader will also participate in the World Economic Forum on January 20 in Davos, Switzerland, the sources added.
The government has emphasized the “strong ideological affinity” between Meloni and Milei, in terms of seeing a need to “return to the values that the large majority of citizens of the western world share.”
The leaders first met last February in Rome. Milei then visited Italy to participate in the G7, and in September they met again in New York during the UN General Assembly. After that, they saw each other in mid-November at the Río de Janeiro (Brazil) G20. Days later, on November 20, Meloni came to Buenos Aires to visit the Argentine head of state in the Casa Rosada.
“We have something in common in the political sense, but it’s personal too,” Milei said at the time. “We were both elected to lead our countries’ destinies, to courageously, honestly, and unflinchingly tackle what we could call the main problem of our respective countries.”
Milei’s next trip to Italy is to participate in meetings organized by the Brotherhood of Italy. The party plans to hold several events in the coming weeks, mostly focused around its campaign for the European elections.
The Brotherhood of Italy is promoting activities related to its political program for Europe, such as the promotion of policies on family support, childbearing, and economic sustainability, areas in which it is seeking to position itself as a leader on the continent.
It is a conservative and nationalist party, founded in 2012. Its name is a reference to the first verse of the Italian national anthem, and reflects its focus on national identity and traditional values. Meloni has led the party since it was founded and brought it to government in 2022, when she won the general election.
Milei and CPAC Argentina
As part of his mission of spreading libertarian ideas, President Milei will give the closing speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting, which is taking place on Wednesday in Buenos Aires.
CPAC is the oldest and most prestigious conservative forum in the United States. During this event, which will take place in a hotel in Puerto Madero, there will be around 20 international speakers.
The organizing committee, led by the team of Leonardo Scatturice, Laura Arrieta, Barry Bennett, Soledad Cedro and José Mallea, called on thinkers of the international libertarian and conservative movement to start an open conversation with representatives of the movement in Argentina, they said.
Key among them is Lara Trump, vice president of the United States National Republican Committee. She is the wife of Eric Trump, President-elect Donald Trump’s third son. Her years as a television presenter and producer and her strong pro-Trump convictions have made Lara an ally who provided significant support to her father-in-law’s reelection campaign, according to Republican party sources.
Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro will participate via video link. Other speakers will include Santiago Abascal, president of Spain’s VOX party. Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich are also scheduled to talk.
The night beforehand, on the Tuesday, CPAC will host a gala dinner, an event in which renowned U.S. political strategist Barry Bennett will give a presentation and Lara Trump will receive an award.
Davos
Milei will also participate in the World Economic Forum meeting. The organization, a nonprofit, meets in Davos each year for an event attended by the wealthiest business leaders on the planet. There, they discuss the global agenda with political, social and intellectual leaders.
As with last year’s meeting, the president will use this platform to advocate for libertarian ideals and continue to position himself as the “world leader of freedom,” according to sources close to him.