Spain 'strongly' condemns Argentine president's insults against Sanchez, his call for violence

The Spanish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday "strongly" condemned Argentine President Javier Milei's insults and alleged defamatory remarks against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Spain and its citizens.

The ministry also condemned in a statement what it described as a call for the use of violence he made earlier Wednesday.

"Spain is a sovereign nation that does not accept external interference, nor attacks and insults against its prime minister and its freely, democratically and sovereignly elected institutions," it said, adding that Spain would not tolerate attempts to undermine its peaceful and democratic coexistence.

The ministry called it "unworthy" for the head of state of a friendly nation to visit Spain with the sole aim of fostering "a climate of polarization and violence between Spaniards and between sister nations such as Spain and Argentina."

It followed Milei's remarks at a business forum in Madrid, where he called Sanchez an "unpresentable dictator" and accused him of being "a criminal and a thief."

Sanchez responded to Milei's repeated use of the term "leftie" as an insult, declaring on US social media platform X that he was proud to be one.

Milei's latest visit to Spain comes amid longstanding tensions between the two leaders, with the Argentine president repeatedly criticizing Sanchez during trips to Spain.

Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has made several visits to Spain without meeting Sanchez, an unusual pattern that has contributed to friction between the two governments.