Spain has demanded a public apology after Argentina’s president said the Spanish prime minister’s wife was “corrupt”.
Without directly naming her, Javier Milei made the remarks about Begoña Gómez, wife of Spain’s PM Pedro Sánchez, at a far-right political rally in Madrid.
Prosecutors called for a preliminary inquiry into Ms Gómez over corruption allegations to be dismissed last month, saying there was no evidence behind the claims.
But Argentina’s government has not apologised, with a minister instead insisting that Spain say sorry for past remarks made about Mr Milei.
Speaking in Madrid at an event organised by Spain’s far-right Vox party, Mr Milei lashed out at “global elites”, the dangers of socialism and “the type of people clinging to power and the level of abuse that generates”.
Mr Milei directed comments at Ms Gómez: “When you have a corrupt wife, let’s say, it gets dirty”.
A Spanish court opened an preliminary inquiry into Ms Gómez in April over allegations from an opposition party of influence peddling.
She has not been charged over the claims made by a right-wing anti-corruption group, which has since acknowledged the allegations could be false.
Recalling Argentina’s ambassador, Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares said Mr Milei had insulted both Spain and its leader.
Spain would be willing to cut diplomatic ties with Argentina if no apology was issued, he warned.
However, Argentina’s Interior Minister Guillermo Francos said “there is no apology”, and that it was for the Spanish government to say sorry for what had been previously said about Mr Milei.
This latest diplomatic clash comes after a cooling of relations between the two countries since the election of the Argentine far-right leader.
Earlier this month, a Spanish minister suggested Argentina’s president had used drugs. Mr Milei hit back condemning the “slander and insults” and attacked the policies of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Mr Milei is no stranger to spats with world leaders.
He has described Brazil’s President Inacio Lula da Silva as an “angry communist”, and called Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador “ignorant”.
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