Politics "Anarcho-capitalist" from Argentina in the Chancellery: Scholz meets Milei
Javier Milei is no friend of soft tones: during the election campaign, he appeared with a running chainsaw, he likes to call disagreeable members of parliament "rats" and for him, the state is the root of all evil. On Sunday, the Argentinian president, who describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist", will be received by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Berlin Chancellery (12.00 noon). One thing is certain: two completely opposite types of politicians will meet: Here the quiet pragmatist, there the loud eccentric.
However, the public will not notice much of this: The originally announced welcome with military honors was cancelled at short notice, as was a joint press conference. What has remained is a brief photo opportunity at the start of the talks, which are scheduled to last just one hour - at Milei's request, according to the German side. The Argentinian head of state does not like direct confrontation with journalists: he practically never gives press conferences in his home country either.
The meeting in the Chancellery is likely to focus on economic issues. Argentina has many raw materials, such as lithium, which is urgently needed in Germany. In addition, talks on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American economic alliance Mercosur remain deadlocked. As an economic liberal, Milei is a great friend of free trade, but for ideological reasons he is at loggerheads with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - the head of state of the region's largest economic power and Argentina's most important trading partner.
Milei had already arrived in Germany on Saturday and received the medal of the liberal Friedrich August von Hayek Society in Hamburg - in the presence of AfD politician Beatrix von Storch and the chairman of the right-wing conservative Werteunion Hans-Georg Maassen. "You are taking capitalism off the defensive," said Stefan Kooths, Chairman of the economists' association, in his laudatory speech. He compared Milei's policies to chemotherapy. "The side effects are severe," said the economist from Kiel. But without such therapy, Argentina would be finished.
The second largest economy in South America has been in a severe economic crisis for decades. Argentina suffers from a bloated state apparatus, low productivity in industry and a large shadow economy that deprives the state of many tax revenues. Milei has now prescribed the country a real horse cure: The government cut thousands of jobs in the public sector, reduced subsidies and wound up social programs. According to the Catholic University of Argentina, almost 56% of people in Argentina live below the poverty line and around 18% live in extreme poverty.
"It was always clear that this would not happen without hardship, but we always communicated this clearly to people," said Milei during his rather lengthy presentation to the Hayek Society. "We have said that there is no money, that it will be hard, that the beginning will be difficult, but that we will achieve good results in the end."
Before Scholz, only a few heads of state and government have received Milei since he took office six months ago: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Italy's head of government Giorgia Meloni, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and Pope Francis as head of state of the Vatican. Due to ideological differences, Milei skipped the usual trips for Argentinian presidents to important neighboring countries such as Brazil and Chile. He has already been to the USA several times - but without an appointment at the White House. Instead, he met with Tesla boss Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump, with whom he is often compared.
