President Javier Milei has begun a new international tour to strengthen ties with leaders of right-wing governments in South America. He will meet with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa and Colombia’s newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella, who will take office on Friday. While in Colombia for De la Espriella’s inauguration, Milei will also hold a bilateral meeting with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. This meeting further underscores his government’s close relations with Israel.
Milei departed from Buenos Aires to Ecuador on Wednesday evening. On Thursday afternoon, he will meet with President Noboa. He will be accompanied by the president’s general secretary Karina Milei and Foreign Minister Pablo Kirno. The presidents are expected to sign a series of bilateral agreements. This meeting takes place amid debates in Argentina’s Congress over a controversial property rights reform bill, which is likely to spark protests outside the parliament building.
Meetings in Colombia and the expansion of the “blue wave”
Milei and Noboa previously met at the inauguration of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who began his second term in June 2024, and at the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2025. Their first bilateral meeting took place last August when Noboa visited Buenos Aires.
The presidential delegation will fly to the Colombian city of Cali on Thursday evening. On Friday morning, Milei will first meet with Israel’s Foreign Minister and then hold a bilateral meeting with De la Espriella before his inauguration. After that, Milei will attend De la Espriella’s inauguration ceremony on Friday afternoon and then return to Argentina early Saturday morning.
During this visit, Milei will meet De la Espriella for the first time. The Argentine president congratulated him after his election victory, stating: “the majority of Colombians have chosen the path of economic freedom.” Later, Milei noted that they share a common economic and political vision, saying: “the lion and the tiger roar in Latin America,” referring to their nicknames. Both are political outsiders and share hardline positions on social issues. Their economic agenda focuses on reducing the state apparatus and lowering corporate taxes.
De la Espriella’s victory expands the so-called “blue wave” of conservative right-wing governments in South America. This wave now covers almost all countries in the region, except for Brazil and Uruguay.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald
