Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, ended his mandate as a temporary leader of Mercosur on Thursday (3), passing the stick to his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with a hard message and threats to abandon the collective treaty.
This is because, according to the libertarian agent, the bloc did not fulfill its central objective. “Mercosur’s initial goal has not been achieved, and the ordinary terrain became smaller and smaller. We proposed a freer structure instead of the iron curtain to which we are subjected today,” Milei emphasized.
According to him, “although it was created with noble intentions, Mercosur has jumped, privileging only certain sectors over a gigantic structure.” For this reason, the president said that Argentina “will embark on the way of freedom, accompanied or alone”, signaling the possibility of leaving the country from the agreement.
“We will embark on the way of freedom, together or alone, because Argentina cannot expect. We urgently need more trade, more economic activity, more investments and more jobs. That’s why we urgently need more freedom,” said the libertarian.
Since arriving at Casa Rosada in 2023, Milei has defended renovations to provide greater market opening of the regional block. This Thursday, he again emphasized: “We must stop thinking about Mercosur as a shield against the world and see it as a spear that allows us to effectively penetrate in global markets.”
The president of Argentina defended “logical commercial conditions” within the regional organization and stated that ideological differences and “secondary questions” that divide countries should not disturb business relations.
As he passed the baton to Lula, Milei pointed out that he expects from the Brazilian to comply with these reforms and the fight against organized crime and human rights violations, citing the case of Venezuela.
“I close this presidency leaving this commitment to the next presidency of the bloc, led by Brazil, confident that together we will be able to provide Mercosur with the tool necessary to effectively combat transnational organized crime. In the same line, we cannot ignore the numerous cases of illegal detention in Venezuela.”
In his farewell to the bloc’s temporary presidency, Milei also agreed to hold some bilateral meetings with other leaders in the region. He will have a meeting with the president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, and another with the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, who seeks to become a full member of the agreement.
In the final statements, the Argentine thanked the members of the bloc who supported the Argentine claim of the Falkland Islands. “It is an Argentine territory occupied since 1833 by a population that has been established there from the United Kingdom after the forced expulsion of the Argentine authorities,” said the president.
The meeting between the petista and the libertarian was again marked by coldness, without smiles or hugs, observed behavior among other leaders.
Lula was the last president to reach the summit on Thursday, being guided to Milei, who greeted him with a brief gesture.
