The government ordered diplomats who were ambassadors under the Macri administration to retire

Argentina’s foreign ministry has asked several diplomats who were ambassadors under Cambiemos’ government to start processing their retirement. This measure deepens the tendency to displace all officials who have to do with the administration headed by Mauricio Macri. This is seen in the recent appointments made by President Alberto Fernández, with various “political” appointments to key embassies around the world, such as China and Russia.

One of those who received this notice is Luis Maria Kreckler, 66, career diplomat and head of headquarters in Beijing, the Chinese capital, until the end of December 2020. In the Foreign Service, ambassadors retire at 70 and others (ministers, advisers) at 67. . Sabino Vaca Narvaja, which was its No. 2 in China, replaced it. Vaca Narvaja is a renowned “Chinese scientist” who has written a few books on the Asian country and has been actively involved in negotiations for vaccines from the Sinopharm laboratory. He has good relations with Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and also with Alberto Fernández.

In China, Cuba and Bolivia, these will be political appointments and not career diplomats. In each mandate, the executive power may appoint up to 18 ambassadors in this way, invoking article 5 of the law on the foreign service of the nation.

One of the latest political appointments was that of the former aviation trade unionist and later national deputy Ariel basteiro who returns to Bolivia for his long relationship with the former president of the highland country. Evo Morales, which now continues with its successor Luis Arce, of the same political line. The great relationship with the MAS (Movement for Socialism) and with the officials around Arce catapulted him to this position. His predecessor, Normando Álvarez García, was very close to the radical governor of Jujuy, Gerardo Morales placeholder image, one of the main representatives of Together for Change.

Luis Ilarregui, who was mayor of the city of Buenos Aires of Ayacucho and is also identified with the harshest Kirchnerism, is another of the political diplomats, who will occupy the diplomatic seat in Havana. Javier Figueroa, A career diplomat, he was transferred from Cuba to Great Britain in the middle of last year. This change is not related internally between “christinistas” and “albertistas”.

Another pure Kirchner like Eduardo Zuain replaced in Moscow Ricardo Enrique Lagorio, a career diplomat under the Macri administration, of the same age as Kreckler. Zuain de Santiago, maintaining very good relations with the radical K and governor of Santiago del Estero Gerardo Zamora, who was vice-chancellor and secretary for external relations for the second term of Cristina Kirchner and was prosecuted for “treason against the motherland “by the memorandum With Iran, he is now in charge of the relationship with Vladimir Putin, closely linked to the supply of Sputnik V vaccines, since Argentina was one of the first countries to acquire this drug, key in these times of pandemic that the planet is getting through.

In Italy something similar happened with Roberto Carlés. This lawyer born in Morón is 39 years old and in 2006 the Kirchnerism had proposed to him to join the Supreme Court, although this intention did not prosper. His Welcome to Pope Francis and his close relationship with Cristina Kirchner they joined forces to take charge of him, replacing Tomás Ferrari, the one appointed by the Macri government during the previous presidential term.

For the strategic embassy in the United States, Alberto Fernández opted for the experience of Jorge Argüello who was already in this position since Fernando Oris de Roa, businessman and personal friend of Mauricio Macri, with whom the former president also shared business affairs. Argüello has a very long diplomatic experience – he had previously been ambassador to Washington DC, to the United Nations and to Portugal – he was deeply familiar with the international agenda and, fundamentally, has a long friendship with the president. This sum of qualities led to the decision of Alberto Fernández to create a “super embassy” which coordinates all Argentinian activities in the United States.

Eduardo Porretti has been consolidated as charge d’affaires and is in charge of diplomatic representation in Venezuela.

Another political ambassador was in Mexico: Carlos tomada, former Minister of Labor for 12 years, from 2003 to 2015. Faithful to Kirchnerism, he was national deputy of the city of Buenos Aires between 2015 and 2019. And also, leader of the FpV bloc during these four years. He visited the headquarters in the Federal District on September 25, 2020.