Karina Milei and Santiago Caputo take over the Foreign Ministry
President Javier Milei's top two allies have gradually laid siege to Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, taking up every spot that opened at diplomatic head office.
A virtual intervention by Javier Milei’s iron triangle. That is the way the Foreign Ministry, headed by Diana Mondino, feels now, thanks to two people answering directly to top presidential advisor Santiago Caputo and chief-of-staff Karina Milei. The duo are accumulating power, though not without avoiding some friction.
One key figure at the Foreign Ministry is Úrsula Basset, a lawyer trusted implicitly by Karina Milei who arrived into Mondino’s sphere back in July, with a view to becoming a link between the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry.
Yet that did not happen: without a formal position, though still with an office on the 13th floor of Palacio San Martín, where she works from Monday to Friday starting at 9.30am, the legal counsel is in charge of monitoring various different issues, seemingly of her interest.
Libertarian sources clarified to Perfil that Basset is not the Cabinet Chief of her area, but rather an advisor of the Foreign Ministry on gender issues, human rights and with a particular focus on President Milei's “fight” on the 2030 Agenda adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Basset's positions are controversial and are fully aligned with the concepts already provided by Milei at more than one international event. The issue has sparked clashes and disturbance among more experienced career diplomats, who now see Argentina taking a dramatic turn towards the right in only ten months. These new positions are contrary to the work of the last few years, especially regarding the United Nations' 2030 Agenda.
On that point, there are coincidences with another leader who is gaining strength at the Foreign Ministry, Worship & Civilisation Secretary Nahuel Sotelo.
Sotelo, Francisco Sánchez’s replacement, is fully in synch with influential presidential advisor Caputo, has a great relationship with Karina Milei and is training his aim on areas with links to other international organisations – from the UN and the OAS to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the National Commission for Refugees.
Those close to the man who previously held a seat at the Buenos Aires Province Legislature has clarified that his relationship with Mondino is “optimal," though rumours of her exit continue.
Going back to Basset, there is one more piece of information about her performance: she was looking at second and third line staff at the Foreign Affairs Secretariat which until early this month, areas where Mondino's number two Leopoldo Sahores – officially replaced last Friday by Eduardo Bustamante after resigning – was in control.
At Casa Rosada, they acknowledged that Bustamante got to his position due to a recommendation from Mauricio Macri's PRO party, without Mondino’s green light. That is, every time there is a replacement of officials at the Foreign Ministry, the nation's top diplomat is losing influence and has less margin for manoeuvre, appoint or veto new officials.
Power and influence at the Ministry is being gained by the duo of the presidential advisor and Karina Milei.