In his media course after becoming the most voted candidate of the last primary elections, Javier Milei decided to reveal some names of those who would be the heads of the eight ministries that would make up his reduced Cabinet in case of winning the presidential elections in October.
One of them is the well-known Cordovan economist Diana Mondino, who in addition to going in the first place of the list of candidates for deputies for Libertad Avanza, is the candidate of the libertarian to Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Turned into an influencer on Twitter where her phrases and sharp criticisms of the government, Kirchnerism and other politicians as the Libertarian does, contrast with a sober look of elegant lady.
This Thursday, at a reduced lunch at the French Club, Mondino did not hesitate to answer this newspaper's question about whether he will apply a strong adjustment to the Foreign Ministry left by Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero, in tune with Milei's "chainsaw" plan. "Everywhere there will be an adjustment of personnel where it is legally possible, but also what will have is a reassignment in many places," he began saying.
According to data obtained by this newspaper, today in the Foreign Ministry there are 1,109 diplomats, 1701 permanent local employees, who were the ones that were growing the most with the governments, especially Kirchnerists. Then, among others hired in the country and abroad, in very diverse and unknown tasks but earning in dollars or euros another 2000. In total, about 5000.
"You have today in Argentina a number of areas where there are no people and you have a lot where there are five guys who don't even go to work," said Mondino, who also favors moving and preparing people to work in areas where personnel are needed.
Economist Diana Mondino, Milei's candidate for Chancellor if he becomes president. In the photo with the president of the French Club, Roberto Azaretto (on his right) and with the secretary of the Board of Directors Teresa González
Professor at the University of CEMA, founder of Risk Analysis, a local risk rating agency, later acquired by Standard & Poor's among other influential works in the private sector, Mondino did not speak of breaking relations with the Asian giant, but with "the secrecy of the agreements" and made a difference with an "autocratic" system.
In her extensive conversation coordinated by the president of the French Club, Roberto Azaretto and by the secretary of the Board of Directors, Teresa "La Colorada" González, Milei's candidate for chancellor made an introduction between plates and then agreed to answer all the questions that were asked.
In his long introduction he dedicated to him he spoke above all about economics, the scenario he handles best. He spoke against public spending, against withholding taxes from the countryside and against tax burdens, which he acknowledged did not differ much in vision about them with Together for Change. In that sense, without saying so, he suggested that Congress, where they would not have majorities, was the place for agreements.
"It is very difficult to carry out any type of activity because everything has an obstacle, a regulation and when when the Macri government wanted to modify it, everyone who is here gets angry or upset. I give an example that is nothing more offensive discriminatory and violates the equality of the law as the withholdings to the field. They shouldn't exist."
Here are some of his most important phrases and answers.
"There is a huge amount of opinion but it seems that nobody wants to continue with this system, except the few who are clearly beneficiaries. But there are also many people who are afraid of change."
"Any decision is unfriendly and painful"
"But how much worse than the 150 percent inflation we already have. How much worse than 10 million people who receive a social plan directly or indirectly. The worse than 60% of the kids who do not eat well at school and at school learn God knows what. "
"Since last Sunday's vote there are those who are more or less clear about this. In the case of Milei, he said, 'Guys, it's a 30-year plan.'" (later Mondino will say that the libertarian's plan is for 35 and 40 years)
"Patricia explains other things that many people believed her and that are not so different either. Massa didn't explain anything because he can't explain anything."
"There's Not for Everyone"
"From being a country that established doctrine in the world, we have gone on to pity or shame. To be an inveterate debtor to go begging for funds, not to offer our natural resources and to isolate ourselves from the world."
"We must move on to order the economy and Argentina's role in the world must change extraordinarily."
"Before the world, Argentina must behave very well, fulfill its commitments"
After pointing out that there is mining in the country, energy with Vaca Muerta not well exploited, he said it was necessary to implement a "process of deregulation that we need and investment in the world"
After stating that he had talked in certain situations with Federico Pinedo, Patricia Bullrich's candidate for foreign minister, he maintained that the visions will not be "so different" between them.
"Javier Milei is very vocal," he pointed out with affection to the political head of the LLA and promised to seek "all the commercial agreements that are possible."
But it is possible that Argentina's membership in Mercosur does not allow it to sign trade agreements outside the bloc without the other partners, unless it breaks with it as Uruguay has been warning with its requests.
Javier Milei with Diana Mondino
"I'm not talking about tariff discrimination treaties, which I welcome, of course, but regulatory homologation," Mondino said.
Asked about Milei's harsh statements that he is going to break with China, one of Argentina's two main trading partners, because it is "communist," Mondino made several approaches to the issue without giving such a sharp definition and pointed out against "secrecy."
"Who knows what we have at the bottom of those agreements? Nobody. Mind that the government took a liking to the secret agreements because also the agreement with Chevron are still secret and they were the beautiful Yankees, "he fired. "The nice thing we would try to do is that there is transparency in the agreements. And it is likely that China country would not want the agreements to be public and we would want them to start being public. But if you make me the contract to buy polo horses, I don't know if it's a national issue or not but it could be considered because there is also technology and other things they should know."
In another part of the conversation at the French Club he said about China: "One thing is that I will be careful in what I am signing with you, you are an autocratic country. The chinitos will be saying 'here we have freedom, it's not so much'. And another thing is what they are saying now: I give you the loan to buy from my friend Pedro, which is what is happening now. And it is no longer my friend Pedro but my friend chin chun huan."
However, when asked about the controversy over possible port concessions to China, the economist said: "we have to decouple economic activity per se from the actor. There are actors that one crosses off as an entrance. For example, if Chapo Guzman comes and tells you not to worry, I will solve the problem here, do you leave it? Well, we've left it here...."
Diana Mondino with Javier Milei's team
When asked about Milei's idea of moving the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking the traditional diplomatic tradition of remaining neutral in the conflict with the Palestinians, he said: "Javier has said that but it is not something you can do in two minutes because you need to buy the embassy, sell the one you have and talk to an ambassador in Israel to tell you if it is worth it or not. You need to have things conceptually clearer."
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