Argentine President Javier Milei to Receive Venezuelan Opposition Leader Edmundo González Urrutia
Argentine President Javier Milei will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia this Saturday at 11 AM, amidst tensions with the Nicolás Maduro regime and the ongoing detention of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo. The encounter will take place at the Casa Rosada, with Argentine Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein and Milei’s Chief of Staff, Karina Milei, also in attendance.
Milei has previously recognized González Urrutia as the "indisputable winner" of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential elections. The upcoming meeting, which is expected to be held with strict confidentiality, is unlikely to feature a joint press conference or public appearances due to security concerns. nevertheless, a statement from the Venezuelan delegation is possible.
González Urrutia arrived in Buenos Aires last night from Madrid, where he has been living in exile. After his meeting with Milei, he plans to visit the Círculo Italiano in Buenos Aires, where he will receive an award from the Fundación Libertad. It is expected that Milei will reiterate his recognition of González Urrutia’s legitimacy just days before Maduro’s new term begins in Venezuela.
González Urrutia, who is exiled and faces a $100,000 bounty for his capture in Venezuela, was the presidential candidate of María Corina Machado’s main opposition party. He is currently on an international tour, with plans to visit Montevideo, Uruguay, to meet with President Luis Lacalle Pou and Foreign Minister Omar Paganini later in the day. González Urrutia aims to increase international pressure against Maduro ahead of his inauguration on January 10.
The meeting comes at a time of high sensitivity and tension, with Argentina and Venezuela’s diplomatic relations severed. Additionally, five Venezuelan opposition figures are currently asylum in Argentina’s embassy in Caracas, facing power outages and shortages of food and medicine. The situation is exacerbated by the detention of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, whose fate has been denounced by Argentina before the International Criminal Court. Milei has demanded Gallo’s immediate release, labeling Maduro a "criminal dictator" and pledging to exhaust all diplomatic efforts to return Gallo safely to Argentina.
As the situations in Venezuela and Argentina remain tense, President Milei’s meeting with González Urrutia will undoubtedly add another layer of complexity to the political landscape of both countries.
Related reading