Colombia has ordered Argentine diplomats to leave the country after President Javier Milei made insulting remarks about Colombian President Gustavo Petro, calling him a "terrorist," "murderer" and "communist" in a recent interview.
Colombia's foreign ministry issued a statement Wednesday, mentioning that the Argentine president's comments have deteriorated the trust of "our nation, in addition to offending the dignity of President Petro, who was democratically elected," as per Reuters.
The foreign ministry of Colombia recalled in the statement that "this is not the first time that Mr. Milei has offended the Colombian President, affecting the historical brotherly relations between Colombia and Argentina."
Earlier this year, Colombia called back its ambassador from Argentina following similar remarks by Milei, who labeled Petro as a "murderous communist" responsible for Colombia's troubles.
Milei made the comments during a recent interview with the CNN broadcaster, which was yet to be aired in full.
"Mr. Petro, well, you can't expect much from someone who was a terrorist killer, a Communist," Milei said during the interview. Aside from Petro, Milei also slammed other regional leaders during the interview, including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president and a former member of the now-demobilized M-19 rebel movement, had a past with armed groups, which was referenced by Milei during a recent interview.
The relations between Colombia and Argentina have been historically stable. However, since Milei took over the office in November, things have changed between both South American countries.
Considering the trade relation between the two countries, Colombia sold goods worth $429 million to Argentina in 2022. The top exports from Colombia to Argentina included Coal Briquettes valued at $110 million, followed by Coke at $57.7 million, and Propylene Polymers at $55.2 million, as per OEC.
Over the past 27 years, Colombia's exports to Argentina have been growing steadily. The value of exports has risen at an average rate of 7.38% per year, starting from $62.8 million in 1995 and reaching $429 million in 2022.
Argentina, on the other hand, sold goods totaling $1.46 billion to Colombia in 2022. The primary exports from Argentina to Colombia included Delivery Trucks valued at $263 million, Corn at $262 million and Cars at $186 million.
Over the past three decades, Argentina's exports to Colombia have shown consistent growth. At an average annualized rate of 6.66%, exports have increased from $257 million in 1995 to $1.46 billion in 2022.
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