Werthein sworn in as Argentina’s new foreign minister

Gerardo Werthein went from Argentina’s ambassador to the United States to become the country’s foreign minister on Monday at the Casa Rosada. 

Werthein embraced President Javier Milei after swearing on the Torah, which Milei highlighted as a “departure from the usual format.” The president went on to read from the weekly Torah portion, the Lekh Lekha parsha, to mark the beginning of Werthein’s tenure as a member of the government cabinet.

“The forces of heaven are sending you signs, Gerardo,” Milei said, proceeding to read from and deliberately tie the occasion to the religious text describing Abraham’s travels preaching “the Torah, life, and liberty.”

Taken from the First Book of Maccabees — accepted by some religious denominations as Old Testament canon — “the forces of heaven” are a staple of La Libertad Avanza discourse alongside the trademark “Long live freedom, dammit!”

The new foreign minister is stepping into the role after Diana Mondino was abruptly dismissed last week. Mondino was forced to step down following months of infighting and tensions: the last straw was her vote against the United States trade embargo on Cuba in the United Nations General Assembly.

Following the announcement that Werthein would replace her, he promised to follow President Javier Milei’s directives to the letter, saying in a communiqué: “In our country, there is only one foreign policy: the one decided by the president. And the entire Foreign Ministry team is in line with that vision.” 

Werthein’s first month is set to be a busy one, with Milei set to attend the G20 annual leaders’ summit on November 18-19. The new foreign minister is expected to accompany him and spearhead logistics for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Argentina days later.

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