Argentinian President Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the “freedom of the West,” called for a “return to reason,” and launched sharp criticisms against “gender ideology” and what they described as the “insanity of the woke virus” during statements following their meeting in Buenos Aires.

“President Milei and I share a political vision,” said Meloni from Casa Rosada, Argentina’s presidential palace. “We are fighting to defend the freedom of the West.”

Milei emphasized the “political and personal dimensions” of their shared perspectives, highlighting their opposition to “economic nonsense” and support for the values of “property rights” and “free trade,” which he lamented are “sadly rare in the Western world.”

Targeting “ossified international organizations,” “endless regulations,” “gender ideology,” and the “insanity of the woke virus,” Milei asserted that he and Meloni “dare to speak the truth” and demand “the return of common sense and the values shared by the vast majority of Western citizens.” He warned that the West is “sinking into darkness.”

“We have blood ties,” said Argentine President Javier Milei, referencing the approximately one million Italians living in Argentina and the estimated 20 million Argentine citizens of Italian descent. He added, “We now also share similar governments.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that the two leaders agreed on a joint Italy-Argentina Action Plan 2025-2030 to enhance bilateral cooperation and reinvigorate Italian investments in Argentina. These investments, she stated, would benefit from the “valuable liberalization policies of the Milei administration.”

Collaboration on Global Issues

On the international stage, Meloni expressed her desire for the two governments to “collaborate” in major global forums, citing shared positions on key issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East, and the crisis in Venezuela.

Addressing Venezuela specifically, Meloni reiterated that her government “does not recognize the planned victory of [President Nicolás] Maduro following completely non-transparent elections,” which were accompanied by “brutal repression.”

Having already met with Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, now in exile in Spain, Meloni pledged that Italy, in collaboration with the European Union— which in mid-September recognized González as the “legitimate and democratically elected president”—will continue working toward a “democratic and peaceful transition in Venezuela.”

This transition, she said, aims to ensure that “the will of the people, as expressed in electing President González Urrutia, and their rightful desire for freedom and democracy, is fully reflected in reality.”