MEXICO CITY (AP) — Argentina’s self-described anarcho-capitalist President Javier Milei met with German officers on Sunday in Berlin, a part of his ongoing lap of Europe which has been greeted with each celebration and outrage.
His assembly with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday got here after he accepted an award from the neoliberal Augusto von Hayek Basis within the German port metropolis of Hamburg on Saturday for “liberating the inhabitants from shackles” and restoring “hope.”
In a speech as he accepted the award, Milei declared he was defeating the “socialists” with “the biggest fiscal adjustment in historical past of Argentina.” He was met with chants of “freedom!” in Spanish.
In the meantime there have been small protests exterior each the awards ceremony and the assembly between Milei and Scholz, with demonstrators carrying indicators studying “down with Milei, down with the far-right authorities” and “Argentina is just not on the market” in Spanish and German.
The award and demonstrations have underscored Milei’s status as a globally polarizing determine, fueling the adoration of some and hatred of others.
Milei, a right-wing determine identified for his unfiltered manner of talking, was elected final 12 months on the promise to repair Argentina’s troubled financial system and to “make Argentina nice once more.”
His austerity measures have fueled waves of mass protests within the South American nation, with protesters saying cuts have put the poor much more in danger and have endangered public universities. Milei has additionally drawn the ire of human rights activists after he referred to as abortion “homicide” and lambasted the nation’s feminist motion as a “cult of a gender ideology.”
Little was instantly identified what Milei mentioned with Scholz, a center-left chief whose politics and elegance distinction sharply with these of the Argentine president. However a greeting with army honors and a joint information convention that the German authorities initially introduced have been later canceled.
Scholz’s spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, mentioned Friday it will be a “very brief working go to, expressly on the want of the Argentine president” and that there had been a “clear refusal” by Milei to carry a information convention.
The journey in Germany comes after a controversial journey to Spain, the place Milei made no plans to satisfy with senior authorities officers, amid a diplomatic disaster engulfing the long-standing allies.
As a substitute, Milei met with Madrid’s highly effective rightwing regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who’s an outspoken opponent of Spain’s center-left Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Milei was met by cheering crowds in some components of Madrid.
Milei has generated a variety of diplomatic spats together with his outspoken model and controversial opinions since turning into president final December. On Monday, he’s anticipated within the Czech Republic, the place he’ll meet with Czech leaders.
