The future United States ambassador to Argentina praised President Javier Milei

Peter Lamelas, a Cuban-born physician and  current candidate to represent the United States at the embassy in Argentina, appeared this Tuesday before the  United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he outlined the strategic priorities that will guide his potential diplomatic mission in Buenos Aires.

Lamelas's nomination was promoted by President Donald Trump's administration, and is part of a foreign policy that seeks to  reposition the United States as a central actor in Latin America, in the face of the growing prominence of China and other regimes aligned with interests contrary to Western values.

During his presentation, Lamelas expressed his intention to remain  "firm against the malign influence of adversarial powers in the region", in direct reference to China, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. He indicated that these actors "seek to undermine democratic values", and emphasized that a strengthened Argentina can become  "a shining example for the rest of Latin America".

The future ambassador highlighted that one of his main functions will be to limit the expansion of the Chinese Communist Party in key sectors of the Argentine economy such as energy, technology, and natural resources.

In this regard, he stressed the need to promote commercial ties that prioritize American interests, and called to "create opportunities for American companies" through a more favorable investment climate.

Lamelas also acknowledged the challenge posed by Argentina's federal structure, where each province can move forward with bilateral agreements outside the central government. Even so, he committed to establishing a dialogue "not only with President Gerardo Werthein, Luis Caputo, or Santiago Caputo, but also with the other provinces".

In several parts of his presentation, the official referred in praiseworthy terms to the government of JavierMilei, whom he described as a key ally in the region. "We have to continue supporting Javier Milei's presidency with the goal of building a better relationship between both countries", he stated.

In another passage, he revealed that  Trump tasked him "to work with his friend Javier to build an even stronger relationship between our two countries". "Together we will achieve unprecedented greatness" he added, noting that UnitedStates  "can learn a lot from Milei" and from his efforts  "to move his country forward", he stated.

The economic relationship was another focus of the speech. Lamelas reported that the United States currently keeps a trade surplus of 2.1 billion dollars with Argentina, and expressed his willingness to  increase bilateral trade and investments.

He also raised the  need to "cooperate on security, combat corruption, and strengthen intelligence sharing to confront drug trafficking and transnational crimes".

Finally, he defined Argentina as a "vital actor" in the regional geopolitical map, and considered that its economic and political stability "benefits its own citizens, but also improves regional stability".

Lamelas's potential arrival in Buenos Aires would consolidate a strategy of alignment with the current Argentine government, in line with a foreign policy vision that prioritizes the containment of authoritarian threats and the expansion of the United States's economic and strategic interests in Latin America.