Argentina President-elect Javier Milei traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with White House officials on Tuesday for a discussion on economic improvements and the relationship between the two countries.
Milei, who is set to take office on December 10, met with White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan, who filled in for President Joe Biden while he was in Atlanta attending the funeral of former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
Milei’s office wrote in a statement posted to social media that the meeting was also attended by Juan Gonzalez, senior director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, and Marc Stanley, the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina.
The post by Milei’s office stated, per translation by Google, that the two sides had a “positive meeting” in which the president-elect “expressed his view on the international geopolitical agenda aligned with the West and his defense of the values of freedom.”
“For his part, Sullivan expressed the willingness of the United States to collaborate in the transition of the incoming Argentine government in the face of the challenging political, economic, and social situation that the country is going through.”
A news release from the White House stated that Sullivan congratulated Milei on his victory in the election and told the president-elect that the U.S. is “committed to continued close cooperation between our two countries.”
Additionally, Sullivan and Milei proceeded “to discuss the importance of continuing to build on the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, and on shared priorities such as investing in technology and clean energy, advocating for human rights, and standing up for democracies around the world,” according to the release.
Following the meeting, Milei posted a picture of himself on his personal social media account while visiting the Lincoln Memorial.
Milei, who is a libertarian and economist, won the Argentinian election with roughly 56% of the vote and has already promised to make sweeping reforms to the country.
These reforms include closing the Central Bank of Argentina.
His office wrote in a statement on Friday, per translation by Google Translate, that it wished to clarify “false rumors” that the bank will remain open, adding that the closure is a “non-negotiable matter.”
This decision comes following a period of high inflation in the country, with the International Monetary Fund reporting a 121.7% rise in consumer prices over the past year.
Following Milei’s election, the U.S. Department of State released a statement congratulating him on his victory, adding that it is excited to begin discussing “shared priorities that benefit the people of both countries, including protecting human rights and democracy, addressing climate change, and investing in the middle class.”
