Milei Travels to the US to Meet with Officials and Credit Agencies

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The president-elect of Argentina, Javier Milei, will travel to the United States this Sunday to meet for two days with officials from the Biden administration and international financial credit organizations, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The far-right politician will arrive in New York on Monday, where he will make a private visit, and will travel that same day to Washington, where he will be received by the director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, Juan González, the sources told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

Milei’s agenda in the United States, which will last until Tuesday, also includes conversations with officials from the State Department and the Treasury Secretariat, they said.

“They would be introductory meetings at a technical level to generate common synergies and to understand how we would work together in the future,” declared the US ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, this week when Milei’s visit was scheduled.

Milei will arrive accompanied by several collaborators, including Luis Caputo, direct advisor on financial matters and a sure member of his future economic cabinet, according to the local press.

On Friday, the future president held a first virtual conversation from Buenos Aires with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva.

Both discussed “the great economic challenge” that Argentina faces, with an annualized inflation of 140%, 40% of its population in poverty and which will end 2023 in recession, according to the organization.

The country maintains a credit program of $44 billion with the IMF, negotiated in 2018 by then-president Mauricio Macri, now Milei’s main ally.

The visit of Milei and his collaborators to Washington includes contacts at the headquarters of the IMF and the World Bank, the diplomatic sources added.

The president-elect defined the United States and Israel as priority “allies” of his future government.

Milei will assume the presidency on December 10, to succeed the Peronist Alberto Fernández.

edm/atm