The Argentine president emphasized the strategic similarities between both countries at the regional and international levels
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President Javier Milei delivered a speech at the Paraguayan Congress, focusing on the economic comparison between both countries, and stated that it is essential to take Paraguay's progress over the past twenty years as an example.
At the beginning of his remarks, the Argentine president expressed special gratitude to President Santiago Peña and the Paraguayan authorities for the invitation, stating: “I can't help but think about what my country can learn from you.”
In this regard, Milei pointed out that, while Paraguay managed to maintain economic growth and control inflation, Argentina “deepened its decline.” “If we compare the last twenty years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposed results,” he stated before the legislators of the neighboring country.
Javier Milei en el Congreso de Paraguay.
Subsequently, the President highlighted the success of the maquila regime, an industrial incentive policy that offers tax and tariff advantages to companies that import inputs to produce goods for export markets. According to Milei, this strategy allowed Paraguay to seize new opportunities, increase its exports, and generate genuine employment.
In contrast, he warned that Argentina maintained a national industry with permanent deficits, marked by policies “more ideological than market-oriented.” “Thanks to the maquila regime, Paraguay has managed to make the most of its local industry, increasing exports and generating genuine jobs,” he emphasized before the Paraguayan Congress.
Likewise, Milei highlighted Paraguay's inflation control policy, recalling that, while that country “overcame the inflation problem long ago,” Argentina reached 2023 on the verge of hyperinflation due to Kirchnerism. In this regard, he stated that since he took office, daily inflation dropped from 1.5% to monthly levels and assured: “By the middle of next year, Argentina will have definitively left that scourge behind.”
Javier Milei en el Congreso de Paraguay.
Similarities between Milei and Peña
Regarding reforms, Milei pointed out that both his administration and Paraguay's are advancing transformation processes aimed at boosting the development of the private sector. He mentioned the agenda of ten legislative initiatives that President Santiago Peña presented to the Paraguayan Congress and stressed that “this is the model that our national government in Argentina is also promoting.”
The Argentine head of state also emphasized the strategic similarities between both countries at the regional and international levels. In this regard, he highlighted the recent inauguration of the Paraguayan embassy in Jerusalem and announced that Argentina will open its own in 2026. He also underlined that both governments expressed a common position against organized crime and agreed to recognize Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
Regarding the bilateral agenda, Milei presented several initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation between Argentina and Paraguay:
Start of feasibility studies to build a new international bridge between Misión La Paz and Pozo Hondo, with work scheduled for September 2025.
Signing of a memorandum of understanding to export natural gas from Vaca Muerta to Paraguay and Brazil.
Reactivation of works at Yacyretá, with the first Ana Cuá turbine operational in 2026 and total completion scheduled for 2027.
Agreements to optimize the waterway, improve river transport, and streamline border crossings.
In the final part of his address, Milei again emphasized the importance of deepening bilateral cooperation: “It is our deepest desire to improve the quality of life of our peoples, ensuring that more Argentine goods and services can access the Paraguayan market and vice versa,” he stated.
“I have no doubt that it will benefit both peoples and will inspire all the countries in the region that find in trade openness and voluntary cooperation the path to a better future for the entire continent,” concluded the Argentine president.
