Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Argentina President Javier Milei said Sunday that he wants to make the “strategic alliance” with the United States led by ally President Donald Trump a “state policy.” In a state of the nation address to parliament, the Argentine leader said “the South Atlantic is the strategic battleground of the coming decades,” arguing Argentina must be a “player” in the region. “We must create the century of the Americas: Make Americas Great Again, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego,” he added. “We have the critical minerals that the West needs. We have the energy — gas, oil, nuclear power and renewable energy — to supply large-scale production chains.” He boasted of Argentina’s location at the southern tip of the Americas, noting it has “access to two oceans and a presence in Antarctica.”
On the alliance with the US and Trump, Milei’s government backed Washington’s strikes on Iran that began on Saturday and put Argentina on high alert. Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America, and it accused Iran and Hezbollah of being behind the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.
– Ambitious Reform Package –
Devoting the majority of his speech to his government’s macroeconomic successes over the past two years, particularly in combating inflation, Milei said he wanted to press his reforms further. He announced an ambitious package of 90 reforms in the address to parliament on Sunday, saying they would “redesign” Argentina “for the next 50 years.” The reforms are expected to address the economy, taxes, the criminal code, the electoral system, education, justice and defense, Milei said in his address, which was marked by verbal clashes with opposition lawmakers.
“There will be nine uninterrupted months of structural reforms that will reshape the institutional architecture of the New Argentina,” he said. His nearly two-hour speech marked the beginning of the new legislative cycle after a turbulent 2025, which was marked by corruption allegations against officials and episodes of currency instability. But Milei, president since 2023, begins this parliamentary year in a position of political strength, bolstered by his electoral success in the midterm elections in October.
Last week, the country’s Congress adopted Milei’s flagship labor reform, handing a victory to the libertarian leader in his push to boost hiring by loosening rules on working hours, dismissals and overtime. The so-called “labor modernization law” allows working days of up to 12 hours, reduces severance pay, limits the right to strike and lowers employer taxes, among other provisions. The law brought thousands of people onto the streets in the past two weeks in protest over what they see as a rollback in workers’ rights.
© 2024 AFP
