Colombia recalls envoy to Argentina after Milei dubs Petro 'murderer'

Colombia has recalled its ambassador to Argentina for consultations, following comments from Argentine President Javier Milei in which he called his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro a "communist murderer."

In an interview with journalist Patricia Janiot, Milei called Petro "a communist murderer who is ruining Colombia."

Janiot shared the interview with Milei on her YouTube account.

Colombia's Foreign Ministry, in a statement, called Milei's comments "disrespectful and irresponsible" and said they "violate the deep ties of friendship, understanding and cooperation that have historically united Colombia and Argentina."

"On behalf of the Government of Colombia, I present my strongest protest against the disrespectful and irresponsible statements of the President of the Argentine Republic, Mr. Javier Milei, against the President @petrogustavo, during an interview with the journalist Ángela Patricia Janiot, issued on January 25," Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Colombia's Ambassador to Argentina, Camilo Romero, also slammed Milei's comments, calling him a "hypocrite."

"While today he asks our government for approval for his new ambassador in Colombia, he calls the president a murderer @petrogustavo," he said in a tweet.

"We can think differently, but the region and the historical brotherhood of our peoples must be above differences."

Milei, 53, took oath in December 2023 with vows of harsh spending cuts and economic reforms aimed at curbing rampant inflation.