Milei is not expected to attend the next Mercosur Summit meeting

Argentine President Javier Milei, 53, is not expected to attend the meeting of other countries at the Mercosur Summit, which is taking place this weekend in Asunción. On Monday (1), Casa Rosada spokesman Manuel Adorni confirmed the information.

Argentinian President's visit to Brazil

Manuel also confirmed that Milei will travel to Brazil to participate in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in the city of Balneário Camboriú, in Santa Catarina, but should not meet with President Lula.

Embed from Getty Images

_{Javier Milei should be in Brazil, but has no agenda with Lula (Photo: reproduction/ Mateo Occhi/Getty Images Embed)}

Lula and Milei have already exchanged barbs. Since taking office in 2023, Milei has launched several attacks against the Brazilian president, calling him a “rabid communist” and also “corrupt”. Last week, Lula said that he has not yet met with Milei, but expects an apology before that meeting takes place.

The conference is expected to bring together several right-wing and far-right political figures who will speak on issues relevant to the movement. Even though the Argentine president has been confirmed to be coming to Brazil, there is no confirmation that he will meet with Bolsonaro.

Mercosur Summit

Mercosur was created in 1991 and aims to ensure the integration of countries in the region, establishing partnerships at the commercial, diplomatic and political levels. The meeting of the member countries also seeks to increase investments.

Currently, five countries are part of Mercosur: Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Venezuela, which could become the sixth country to join the group, is in the process of joining the bloc.

As objectives for 2024, Mercosur must strengthen more female voices, including more female leaders in the bloc and also promote actions aimed at women's rights.

There are also plans to establish ties with China and build a unified negotiation front.

The group also continues to study global conflicts and crises that have affected relations between different countries.

Featured photo: Javier Milei (Reproduction/Luis Robayo/AFP)