The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, this Thursday equated socialism with fascism during his speech before the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Ibero-American leaders gathered at the XXX Ibero-American Summit.
In his speech at the summit's plenary session, Milei focused a good part of his intervention on questioning socialism, which he directly linked to fascism. "Socialism is fascist in politics and fascism is socialist in economics," he stated, before adding that "both doctrines concentrate in the hands of a minority the control of individual decisions and make economic dependence an instrument of political domination."
According to the Argentine president, "everything in the State, nothing outside the State," the maxim he associated with fascism, "describes socialist states." Along the same lines, he pointed out that they share "hatred for the free market," that they "adore state intervention," that they "nationalize companies, regulate the economy, control the media, and dedicate themselves to spreading propaganda."
Defense of individual liberty and references to Latin America
Milei brought to the podium his usual proclamations in defense of individual liberty and his criticisms of state intervention, pointing out that liberty "is defended above all with the limits that each one accepts for their own power." Furthermore, he stated that "fascists to the right of the extreme left" are still socialists, and maintained that whoever is on the right "is not extreme right but is showing the position of the extreme left," in allusion to agendas that, he said, "are called progressive" and "are gaining ground" in Europe.
Regarding Latin America, the Argentine president welcomed the wave of right-wing governments that have come to power in recent months, citing the cases of Chile, Colombia, and Peru, which, he stressed, "are driving a democratic rebellion against paternalism and the abuse of power." "The liberal spirit is still alive and today Argentina demonstrates that this advance is possible," he explained, to then firmly support "governments determined to follow that path" and contrast these changes with the "regimes" in the region that, he said, "invoke Human Rights while imprisoning dissidents and silencing the press."
Praise for Felipe VI and condolences for the victims of the Toledo accident
On the other hand, Javier Milei dedicated words of praise to King Felipe VI, with whom he will also not be able to meet officially during this visit to Spain, his eighth, and thanked him for his invitation to the summit. "Thanks to His Majesty's perseverance, this space could become a place where our countries can work together," said the Argentine president, in a veiled reference to the current differences between the two governments.
Before entering the political block of his speech, Milei expressed on behalf of the Argentine Government and people his "deepest condolences for the 69 victims of the recent train accident in Toledo," among whom are two Argentines. "We respectfully accompany the pain of their families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," he stated, before emphasizing that "in this moment of pain, Argentina stands with the Spanish people."