Blinken is the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit Argentina since the inauguration of Miley, who has called for shock therapy for economic recovery, in December.
“Working to stabilize the economy is absolutely vital,” Blinken said in his press conference, describing the meeting with the president that day as “incredibly positive.”
“The United States is exploring investment opportunities in critical minerals, primarily lithium, through the International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) and the new Mineral Security Partnership (MSP),” he said. He added that Washington wants American companies to remain Argentina's preferred partner.
Blinken refused to comment on Miley's proposal to transform Argentina's economy into a dollar-based economy, saying that it is a decision that Argentina must make.
Javier Miley, a qualified economist, has taken a firm pro-American stance, even though he is a much closer ideological ally of former Republican President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden's main rival in this year's presidential election.
In response to a question at the beginning of a meeting in the Casa Rosada presidential palace about his message to the United States, Javier Miley said, “Argentina has decided to return to the side of the West, progress, democracy, and above all freedom.”
Blinken arrived in Buenos Aires on Thursday after visiting neighboring Brazil to meet leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who, unlike Miley, clashed with the United States after criticizing the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip.
The Argentine president earlier visited Israel, an ally of the United States, to reassure it of its support after the attack launched by the Palestinian Hamas movement on Israel on October 7. Blinken stressed that he appreciated Miley's strong condemnation of the attacks and his support for Israel's right to ensure that such an attack does not happen again.
