Javier Miley dramatically changed his mind by signing the Paris climate agreement

Javier Miley was sworn in on Sunday in Buenos Aires Photo: Gustavo Garello/AP

Javier Miley, Argentina's new president, abandoned his commitment to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

Mr Miley, who was sworn in on Sunday, had previously said he intended to withdraw Argentina's participation in the agreement after citing climate change as an issue this is a scam.

But the country's new top climate diplomat Marcia Levaggi told Reuters on Sunday that Mr Milea's government had tapped her to lead the Argentine delegation to the UN Cop28 climate talks in Dubai.

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She arrived on Sunday as Miley was inaugurated in Buenos Aires to chants of “Libertad!” and “President!”

Among the world leaders present at Miley's inauguration were Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine, Viktor Orban of Hungary and Gabriel Borich of Chile.

After the ceremony, Cristina Kirchner, the former vice president, appeared to give Miley the middle finger. supporters when she left her post.

Former Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner criticized supporters of the new President Javier Miley as she left her post.

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Mr Miley – a right-wing economist, political outsider and former TV pundit – won the November general election with his highest percentage of the vote since the country returned to democracy in 1983, amid a crippling financial crisis.

Mr. n Miley pursued radical policies, including replacing the country's peso with the US dollar, closing the central bank, and halving the number of ministries. He also proposed a referendum on the legality of abortion, relaxed gun regulation and called the climate crisis a “socialist lie.”

“All these politicians who blame the human race for climate change are fakes and are only looking to raise money to fund the socialist bums who write fourth-rate newspapers,” Mr. Miley previously said.

Such comments fueled doubts around. the future of the country's environmental agenda, especially when he rejected the Paris Agreement signed by Argentina in 2015 as “cultural Marxism”.

Javier Miley's inauguration took place on Sunday amid chants of “Libertad”. Photo: MATIAS BALLETTO/REUTERS

However, since his victory three weeks ago, the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” has begun to backtrack on some of his more controversial policies.

He has softened his tone. , filled his first cabinet with conservatives rather than ideological libertarian allies, and put more radical ideas such as dollarization on the backburner.

He also abandoned plans to abolish the country's health ministry.

Mr Miley warned in his maiden speech that he had no alternative to a sharp and painful financial shock that could help reverse the country's worst economic crisis in decades, with inflation approaching 200 percent.

The outgoing government has left us with hyperinflation and our main challenge is to do everything possible to avoid such a catastrophe, which will result in the poverty rate exceeding 90 percent and the poverty rate exceeding 50 percent,” he said.

“ For this reason, there is no alternative to austerity measures.”