(Bloomberg) -- In the clearest sign yet of a truce between Argentina and Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez named a new ambassador to the country Tuesday, after ties with President Javier Milei turned so rocky Spain pulled its top diplomat from the country.
Sanchez has named Joaquin Maria de Aristegui Laborde to fill the position that’s remained vacant since May, according to both governments. In a joint statement, the Argentine and Spanish governments said they’re committed to strengthening the relationship between the countries. Since 2021, Aristegui Laborde has been Spain’s ambassador to Colombia.
“The relationship between our governments must be at the stature of the intensity of the ties that link our people and societies,” the foreign ministries wrote.
Spain is Argentina’s second-biggest foreign investor and the nation is home to the largest Argentine community abroad. The diplomatic row between the two historic allies dates back to the presidential election late last year, when Sanchez endorsed Milei’s left-wing rival, Sergio Massa. One of Sanchez’s ministers then criticized Milei in a panel in May, suggesting he had ingested drugs during an interview.
“It was finally understood that Argentina’s posture was the right one,” Milei’s spokesman, Manuel Adorni, said in his press conference Tuesday morning. “For us it was an error to remove the ambassador back then because we have always believed ties between countries go above and beyond any relationship between their leaders.”
Milei escalated the spat in repeated appearances, most notably during a rally organized in Madrid by the far-right opposition party, Vox. Milei has slammed Sanchez for his “impoverishing” socialist policies and called his wife, who is under investigation for alleged influence peddling, corrupt.
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