Argentine President Javier Milei has dismissed Foreign Minister Diana Mondino following Argentina’s vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning the U.S. blockade of Cuba.
Mondino will be replaced by Gerardo Werthein, Argentina’s ambassador to the United States, according to the president’s office on Wednesday. Werthein, a businessman and influential figure within the Milei administration, is set to assume the role.
On Tuesday, Argentina joined 186 other countries in supporting a UN resolution condemning the U.S. economic embargo—referred to as a “blockade” by Cuba—against the island nation. Only the United States and Israel voted against the measure.
In a statement, Milei’s office explained that “Argentina is undergoing a process of fundamental change that requires our diplomatic institutions to reflect, in every decision, the values of freedom, sovereignty, and individual rights that characterize Western democracies.” The statement further emphasized that Argentina is “categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship.”
Milei, who vowed during his presidential campaign not to “do business with communists,” has delivered impassioned speeches at right-wing conferences in the U.S. and Europe, where he defended free-market capitalism and criticized international organizations like the UN for promoting a “socialist agenda.”
Mondino, an economics professor, had previously played a key role in managing diplomatic tensions between Argentina and its traditional allies, including Brazil and Spain, as well as with China, the nation’s second-largest trading partner, which she visited in April.
However, analysts suggest that Mondino’s influence within the administration has diminished in recent months, particularly as Milei’s sister and chief of staff, Karina Milei, has become more involved in foreign ministry appointments, as reported by the Financial Times.
Milei, known for his firm stance against Latin America’s leftist governments, has emerged as one of the region’s most outspoken critics of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
