Argentine President Javier Milei is currently on an official visit to Germany this week, marking his first meeting with a leader from another political persuasion during a trip abroad since taking office. The chancellor of the German government, social democrat Olaf Scholz, welcomed Milei in Berlin on Sunday.
The format of the meeting did not align with the usual reception for foreign leaders in Berlin. The meeting was described as a short working meeting at the request of the Argentine president. Milei also declined the possibility of holding a joint press conference.
Prior to his visit to Germany, Milei received a medal from the neoliberal Hayek Society in Hamburg and used the opportunity to criticize socialists. According to Milei, the socialists have been attacking him because their recipe for radical adjustment is working, and the Argentine economy is beginning to recover.
Outside the chancellery in Berlin, a group of activists gathered to protest Milei’s visit with banners and chants against him. Despite the protests, Milei’s meeting with Chancellor Scholz marks an important milestone in his presidency and in Argentina-Germany relations. This meeting is significant as it is Milei’s first official meeting with a socialist head of government in six months since becoming president.
