Argentina’s President Javier Millay will not attend the G20 summit to be held in South Africa starting November 22, following the decision of US President and ally Donald Trump.
A presidential spokesperson confirmed to AFP that Milay plans to replace him with new Prime Minister Pablo Kirno.
The Argentine government has not given a reason for the president’s absence, but Milay has repeatedly expressed diplomatic cooperation with the United States and Trump.
At the last United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, Milley again voiced support for President Trump’s immigration policies and returned to many of his criticisms of the United Nations.
President Trump announced Friday that no U.S. officials will attend the next G20 summit in South Africa, where there is no evidence of persecution or killing of white people.
“It is unfortunate that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” the US president said on his Truth social network.
In 2024, despite disagreements with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Millay personally attended a summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Joining the OECD
Instead, Argentina has submitted its first memorandum of understanding to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the international body confirmed, calling it a “decisive step” in the accession process.
On the occasion of OECD Secretary-General Matthias Cormann’s visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Foreign Minister Quirno “handed him Argentina’s first memorandum of understanding, marking a significant step towards membership,” the organization said in a statement.
The country announced its intention to join the OECD in 2016 under liberal President Mauricio Macri, and a consultation process began six years later with Brazil, Peru, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania.
In May 2024, Argentina received a roadmap that it must apply to integrate an organization that includes the world’s largest economy with a democratic government.
Initially, Argentina had promised to submit the first memorandum of understanding by the end of 2024.
The submission of this document, a preliminary self-assessment carried out by Argentina on the harmonization of its laws, policies and practices with OECD standards, begins the “technical phase”.
Following the roadmap for Argentina’s accession process to the OECD adopted by 38 member countries, a dialogue will be initiated by 25 expert committees covering a wide range of public policy areas.
In August 2024, Corman explained that this technical review process would last several years.
The Secretary-General, quoted in the statement, declared that “the OECD accession process complements Argentina’s ambitious economic reform program and contributes to strengthening the foundations for growth in the medium to long term.”
He added that this would “strengthen international confidence in Argentina’s political direction, supporting stronger and more sustainable growth and improved incomes and living standards, while strengthening OECD cooperation with major G20 economies.”
AFP
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