Milei calls Petro 'murderer', Colombia recalls envoy from Argentina
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Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alvaro Leyva Duran says Milei’s remarks against Petro were disrespectful and irresponsible.
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Argentine President Javier Milei leaves the Holocaust museum after attending an event marking the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Bogota has recalled its ambassador in Argentina after President Javier Milei disrespected his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro on live television, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on Friday.
On Thursday, as he answered a series of questions on world leaders during a live program, Milei referred to Petro as a "communist murderer who is sinking Colombia."
In response, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign confirmed in a statement that "in light of the circumstances created by the words of the President of Argentina, the Colombian Government recalls for immediate consultations Ambassador Camilo Romero, representative of Colombia in said country."
Words expressed by the Argentine President imperil the strong bilateral friendship, understanding and cooperation that have historically united both countries, the statement warned.
Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alvaro Leyva Duran further stressed that Milei’s remarks against Petro were disrespectful and irresponsible.
En nombre del Gobierno de Colombia, presento mi más enérgica protesta por las irrespetuosas e irresponsables declaraciones del Presidente de la República Argentina, señor Javier Milei, en contra del Presidente @petrogustavo, en el desarrollo de una entrevista con la periodista…
— Álvaro Leyva Durán (@AlvaroLeyva) January 26, 2024
"In the name of the Colombian Government, I present my most energetic protest for the disrespectful and irresponsible remarks by the President of the Argentinean Republic," Leyva wrote on X.
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