Argentinian foreign minister ousted for voting to end 6-decade embargo on Cuba

MEXICO CITY

Argentina’s foreign minister was abruptly fired after supporting a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on Cuba, Argentinian officials said.

In a late Wednesday press release, the Argentinian government announced Diana Mondino's resignation while denouncing the Cuban government.

"Our country categorically opposes the Cuban dictatorship and will remain steadfast in promoting a foreign policy that condemns all regimes that perpetuate the violation of human rights and individual freedoms," said the statement.

Representing President Javier Milei's government at the UN, Mondino joined 187 countries that voted to end the economic embargo on the Caribbean island, voting against the US and Israel, the only other nations that voted to continue the six-decade economic blockade.

Mondino's vote challenged Milei's fierce anti-communist narrative against the Cuban government.

In April, Milei labeled Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel one of the worst presidents in Latin America, alongside Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro.

Speaking to CNN, Milei pushed for sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba.

"Yes, I would be willing to do it because the slaughterhouse that Venezuela is truly unheard of, just like the prison island of Cuba," he said.

On X, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said the county’s new foreign minister is Gerardo Werthein, current ambassador to the United States and a well-known businessman in Argentina, a member of the Werthein dynasty. This family has led the country's private sector for 100 years through the Werthein Group holding company.

In its press release, the government also stated the president would audit the Foreign Ministry following Mondino's resignation “to identify drivers of agendas hostile to freedom.”