Milei orders the withdrawal of the Argentine diplomatic corps from the climate conference in Baku
BAKU.– Argentine negotiators have received the order to withdraw the diplomatic corps from the climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which began just three days ago, raising concerns about the stability of the Paris Agreement. The international press has described this decision by President Javier Milei’s government as worrisome, even labeling the president as a “climate science skeptic”.
Argentine Environment Undersecretary, Ana Lamas —the highest-ranking official on climate issues after Milei dissolved the ministry in charge— confirmed the decision, initially reported by Climatica. “We have been instructed by the Foreign Ministry not to participate, and that’s all I can say,” stated Lamas, adding that the decision only applied to the 29th Conference of the Parties to the climate convention, and that it does not currently mean that Argentina is withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement, which Argentina ratified its participation in 2016.
This Wednesday morning in Baku, the representatives of Milei’s government were ordered to leave the Azerbaijani capital. According to foreign ministry sources, the diplomats left during the afternoon, and most will depart from Baku on Thursday.
More than 80 representatives from Argentina were in Baku for two weeks of negotiations on climate financing for energy transition. Milei had previously described the climate crisis as a “socialist lie” and during his election campaign last year, he threatened to withdraw the country from the Paris Agreement, although he later backtracked on his stance.
Argentine environmentalist Oscar Soria, director of the think tank The Common Initiative, described Milei’s decision as a “serious setback” for the economy and well-being of Argentinians, emphasizing that the climate crisis has already severely impacted the economy, especially due to recent droughts affecting agricultural exports. Soria, who is in Baku, told Noticias Ambientales that this decision “isolates the country from the world” and described it as a “suicidal” move driven by “an outdated ideology”.
The withdrawal of the Argentine delegation from the climate conference has sparked great controversy. This decision is part of a foreign policy that, according to the president, is focused on an unwavering defense of “freedom” and “sovereignty” of the nation, concepts that Milei reiterated in a letter sent to diplomats last October. In it, Milei instructed that Argentina refrain from participating in international initiatives that, in his view, represent supranational control and violate the principles of state autonomy. The president emphasized in that communication that the country should not support measures that compromise life, freedom, and property values, advocating a position contrary to the 2030 Agenda and the sustainability goals promoted by the United Nations.
“Argentina’s decision to leave the talks in Baku marks a sharp turn in its traditional climate policy, although it is not surprising under the Milei government, which has pressured Argentine diplomats to take unsustainable positions in the past. This decision is purely ideological and goes against the country’s interests, whose economy has been severely affected by the climate crisis,” added Soria, who recalled other similar incidents in recent months, such as Argentina’s decision to leave the Future Summit last September.
In X (formerly Twitter), Soria pointed out that Milei’s decision to withdraw his diplomats from Baku is “another example of a deranged extreme right-wing policy that uses high-profile moments as a burlesque show for the pleasure of the global far-right movement”.
There is a widespread concern about the future of the climate agreement following Donald Trump’s election in the United States, who has promised to withdraw from the agreement for the second time. Before the negotiations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that a second U.S. withdrawal could “paralyze” the global agreement to limit warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
It is feared that other countries, including those led by climate change deniers like Argentina, may withdraw from international climate agreements. On Tuesday, Milei spoke with Trump, and a Milei spokesperson stated that Trump told his Argentine counterpart that he was his “favorite president”.
Carla Chavarría, a specialist in climate change management, warned that Argentina’s decision to withdraw from COP29 negotiations would be detrimental to its future: “Argentina withdraws its delegation from COP29 in Baku, losing a voice in climate financing negotiations. At a critical moment to secure resources against the climate crisis, the country is left out, weakening its future and its adaptive capacity,” she wrote on X.
The Youth for Climate of Argentina also reacted to the Argentine government’s decision: “Once again, Milei isolates us from the world. This time he decided to withdraw the diplomatic corps that make up the Argentine delegation from the COP29 climate conference and will not participate in the negotiations”.
The Citizen Association for Human Rights, an Argentine group present in Baku, commented: “We participated in the negotiation group on the gender program in the climate change convention with [the Argentine representative]. It is sad to see Argentina’s absence in the negotiations after having led this issue in many previous COPs”.
Since taking office last year, Milei’s administration has sought to reduce environmental regulations to boost economic growth, relaxing rules on forest and glacier protection.
Julieta Zelicovich, a professor of international relations at the National University of Rosario, described Wednesday’s decision as a bad sign for a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc
