Colombia said Friday it had recalled its ambassador to Argentina for consultations after Argentine President Javier Milei called Colombian leader Gustavo Petro a “murderous communist.”
The ultra-liberal and anti-system Javier Milei said in an interview with a Colombian journalist on Thursday that Mr. Petro was a “murderous communist who is sinking Colombia.”
Colombia's first left-wing president and former guerrilla himself came to power in August 2022 with the aim of pacifying the country rocked by decades of fighting between security forces, left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug trafficking groups.
Mr. Petro responded to his Argentine counterpart's comments, saying that those attacking him “have no idea what communism and socialism is,” adding: “We don't want a system” in which “the state owns all the resources.” . production.”
“We believe and want the means of production to be in the hands of the people and not the state,” he said.
According to a press release from the Colombian presidency issued on Friday, Mr. Milei's “irresponsible” comments “ignore and violate the deep bonds of friendship, understanding and cooperation that historically bind Colombia and Argentina.”
Colombia's ambassador to Argentina, Camilo Romero, has been recalled “for consultations,” the Foreign Ministry in Bogotá announced.
Relations between Colombia and Argentina have historically been stable but have deteriorated since Javier Milei came to power in December.