Milei meets Peru's new president Fujimori during Lima inauguration

President Javier Milei held a bilateral meeting with Peru's newly inaugurated president, Keiko Fujimori, in Lima on Tuesday, as part of his efforts to strengthen ties with like-minded conservative governments across Latin America.

The meeting took place shortly before Fujimori's inauguration at Peru's Congress and underscored Milei's drive to consolidate a right-wing regional bloc while adding another ideological ally to Argentina's list of international partners.

Milei was accompanied by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei. Images of the two leaders together symbolised the return of Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party to power after 26 years.

Fujimori will govern until 2031 after narrowly defeating left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez in Peru's presidential run-off, inheriting a country that has endured years of political turmoil and seen eight presidents take office over the past decade.

The cordial meeting in Lima contrasted sharply with the diplomatic tensions Milei left behind following his visit to Brazil. During a political event in São Paulo, the Argentine leader again described Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as a "thief," prompting Lula to skip Fujimori's inauguration and avoid a potentially awkward encounter.

Back in Buenos Aires, presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier attempted to play down the dispute, insisting the row "is a question between presidents" and stressing that it should not affect relations between Argentina and Brazil, the country's largest trading partner.

After attending Fujimori's swearing-in ceremony alongside regional leaders including Chile's José Antonio Kast, Uruguay's Yamandú Orsi and Ecuador's Daniel Noboa, Milei continued his official agenda by receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of San Martín de Porres later on Tuesday.

The trip forms part of Milei's broader foreign policy strategy of strengthening relations with conservative and libertarian governments in the region, even as his outspoken rhetoric continues to generate diplomatic friction with left-wing administrations.

– TIMES/NA