PRAGUE (AP) — The self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist president of Argentina Javier Milei concluded his short trip to three European Union countries with a visit to the Czech Republic on Monday.
Milei met with Czech leaders, including his counterpart, the retired general. Peter Pavel and conservative prime minister Peter Fialaand gave a speech at a conference on how to deal with an ineffective government.
High on the agenda were the two countries’ support for Ukraine, bilateral cooperation in business, technology, defense and other areas and a trade agreement between the European Union and the countries of the Latin American trading bloc Mercosur.
After their meeting, Milei and Pavel made only brief statements and did not answer questions.
“We jointly support (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelensky against brutal Russian aggression, and at the same time we agree that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism,” Milei said through a translator.
Pavel said he believed that Argentina will become one of NATO’s global partners in the future.
“I am happy that Argentina is ready to take its share of responsibility for global security,” Pavel said.
He stressed the importance of a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. “The Czech Republic and Argentina are among the countries that are convinced that free and open trade contributes not only to economic prosperity, but also to security.”
Milei, known for his unfiltered speaking style, was elected last year on a promise to fix Argentina’s troubled economy.
His austerity measures have sparked waves of protests in the South American country, with demonstrators saying the cuts have further endangered the poor and put public universities at risk. Milei has also drawn the ire of human rights activists after calling abortion “murder” and denouncing the country’s feminist movement as a “cult of gender ideology.”
The Czech Prime Minister said after their meeting that they share similar views on key security issues “which is documented by Argentina’s support for Ukraine.”
The trip to Prague came after a visit to Germany to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and after a controversial trip to Spain, where Milei made no plans to meet senior government officials amid a diplomatic crisis that has engulfed long-standing allies flooded.
Milei was accompanied by Defense Minister Luis Alfonso Petri, who signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the defense industry with his Czech counterpart Jana Černochová.
Milei received applause as he arrived for his speech at the Zofin Palace in central Prague, where several protesters had gathered near the venue.
