Madrid (AFP) - The Ibero-American Summit opens this Wednesday in Madrid with eyes on the Argentine president, Javier Milei, a fierce critic of the host, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, who is risking remaining at the head of the Spanish government in this month's elections.

First modification: 04/11/2026 - 11:01

In addition to Milei, this 30th Ibero-American Summit will be attended by other representatives of the right of a Latin America currently leaning towards that side of the political spectrum, such as the Chilean José Antonio Kast, the Costa Rican Laura Fernández, the Bolivian Rodrigo Paz and the Honduran Nasry Asfura.

And the main faces of the regional left will be absent: the Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, recently re-elected, and the Mexican Claudia Sheinbaum, who recently settled a diplomatic crisis with Madrid after King Felipe VI recognized that there was "a lot of abuse" during the conquest.

It is an "uncomfortable" summit for Sánchez, due to the presidents who are coming, the fact that "he is caught in the campaign (...) and it occurs just after the train accident" in Urda that left 69 dead, Anna Ayuso, an expert on Latin America at the CIDOB think tank in Barcelona, ​​told AFP.

The event seeks to relaunch this space that includes 19 Latin American countries, Spain, Portugal and Andorra after years of decline, but its attention will be focused on Milei.

The Argentine has visited Spanish territory several times since he became president at the end of 2023, but without meeting either the king or Sánchez.

This occasion will not be different, since beyond the summit there are no bilateral meetings planned with either the head of state or the executive, according to Spanish government sources.

"Dictator" and "thief"

The ultra-liberal leader was in Madrid just two weeks ago, where he described Sánchez as an "unpresentable dictator", a "thief" and "corrupt", while calling on the Spanish people "to kick out the socialists" in the early elections on November 29.

The Spanish government rejected Milei's "insults and slander," while Sánchez, who proudly proclaimed himself a "lefty" - a word the Argentine uses to criticize left-wing militants - took the opportunity to compare the economic situation of Argentina and Spain and conclude that "chainsaws and scissors (...) do not build anything, but destroy."

Milei, who already in 2024 caused a diplomatic crisis with Spain by calling Sánchez's wife, investigated for influence peddling, "corrupt" in Madrid, has taken advantage of his visits to support the Spanish extreme right and the regional president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a figure of the conservative right.

The polls predict a victory for the right over Sánchez's socialists on November 29, although without an absolute majority, so he would need the support of the extreme right to form a government.

In any case, Anna Ayuso rules out a scene similar to the 2007 summit when King Juan Carlos I asked her "why don't you shut up?" to the Venezuelan Hugo Chávez, since he does not expect a departure from Milei in front of Felipe VI, a more formal figure who inspires respect in Latin America.

AI and natural disasters

Ultimately, seven Latin American presidents will participate in the summit in Madrid, which will open with an official ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, and then hold its plenary session on Thursday morning.

Another notable absence will be that of the Venezuelan interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

Despite this reduced participation at the highest level, the Ibero-American Secretary General, the Chilean Andrés Allamand, has predicted that this will be the summit with the "greatest impact" of "the last 20 years", even more so coming from the previous one, in Ecuador, which was attended by only four presidents and which did not have a final declaration due to lack of agreement.

On this occasion, there will be a "forceful" declaration, in the words of Allamand, in addition to agreements on issues such as artificial intelligence and cooperation in the face of natural disasters.

The first will promote cooperation in the region to develop language models fed with data in Spanish and not in English, as currently.

And the second, will create a network to act more effectively and quickly in the face of natural disasters, such as the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

© 2026 AFP

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