The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has dismissed his Foreign Minister Diana Mondino following the country's vote at the United Nations in favor of lifting the long-standing US economic embargo on Cuba.
Mondino's dismissal was announced on Wednesday, just hours after Argentina joined 187 other nations in backing the non-binding UN resolution, with only the United States and Israel opposing.
Mondino's firing comes amid ongoing tensions between Milei's administration and the Foreign Ministry.
According to Argentinian TV news channel TN, Milei has frequently expressed his alignment with the US and his opposition to regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Mondino will be replaced by Gerardo Werthein, who is Argentina's current ambassador to Washington.
In a statement following Mondino's removal, Milei's office said: “Our country is categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship and will remain firm in promoting a foreign policy that condemns all regimes that perpetrate human rights violations.”
President Milei also echoed the comments in a social media post, saying that he was “proud of a government that does not support or compromise with dictators.”
The Foreign Ministry's historical position had been to oppose the US embargo.
Their stance dated back decades and was supported by past administrations, including former President Mauricio Macri.
The recent vote at the UN was reportedly welcomed by many career diplomats in the Foreign Ministry.
However, this stance clearly clashed with Milei's vision for Argentina's foreign policy.
TN reported that Mondino's departure is not an isolated move but part of a larger shake-up.
Last month, Milei announced an audit of Foreign Ministry staff to “identify promoters of agendas hostile to freedom,” according to a government statement.
What's more, ambassadors were recently ordered to “accompany ideas of freedom or step aside”.
Despite decades of sanctions, the US embargo has failed to bring political change in Cuba.
Instead, experts claim, it strained relations with many Latin American countries, which view the policy as outdated.