About Santiago Peña
In June 2026, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña gave interviews from Los Angeles ahead of the FIFA World Cup, where he discussed his country's economic situation and his relationship with Argentine President Javier Milei. Peña stated that he has a "very close relationship" with Milei and expressed confidence that if Argentina "maintains this rhythm" it will become the "great power" that Milei often describes. He described Paraguay as a country without a maritime coastline that must be "more agile, more efficient, more competitive" due to its location next to "two giant powers" in Argentina and Brazil. Peña also highlighted progress in areas such as economic growth, poverty reduction, and investment, while stating that Paraguayans "still want more."
In late May 2026, Peña addressed questions about his personal assets, stating that his wealth is "totally transparent" and that all information and account traceability from 2014 onward has been made public. He noted that he was a "politically exposed person" even after leaving his role as Minister of Finance and that his private information was exposed while he was a private citizen, calling it "one of the risks of politics." Peña also discussed security measures taken since August 2023, including the removal of police personnel from stations to train them in the "Lince" group and a major operation to address prison unrest, which he described as a "transcendental decision" to confront insecurity.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Santiago Peña's recent appearances.
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✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Reporter0:03
The President of Paraguay praised the government of Javier Milei and showered him with compliments. We need Argentina to do well because it is a power.
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Santiago Peña0:12
I know it's a difficult process, we lived through it in the past, but I am sure that if Argentina maintains this pace, it will become that great power that Javier Milei always talks about.
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Eduardo0:22
I have on the line the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña. President, how are you? How's it going?
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Santiago Peña0:31
Good afternoon, Eduardo. A huge, huge greeting to you and to all the audience following in Argentina, here from Los Angeles. We are just a few hours away from this first game. Paraguay returns to a World Cup after 16 years, so you can imagine the expectation. Asunción, Paraguay is truly in a tremendous euphoria, and thousands of compatriots came to Los Angeles to participate in this match, and against the United States, no less. Imagine, against the host country. So, a huge expectation for the World Cup opening ceremony.
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Eduardo1:07
President, do you have any idea if President Trump will attend the opening? Will he be there with you and Infantino?
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Santiago Peña1:13
The official information we have is that he will not attend, that the person in charge of representing the American government will be Secretary Marco Rubio. So Marco Rubio will be there. We have a meeting scheduled during halftime. We have an excellent relationship, a really broad agenda of collaboration. So, during halftime, hopefully Paraguay will already be winning that match, we will have the opportunity to discuss bilateral issues.
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Eduardo1:42
Ah, you have faith in winning the match. A lot of faith.
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Santiago Peña1:45
A lot of faith. A lot of faith.
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Eduardo1:46
I'll take you off the soccer topic, we can talk about it again later. But how does Paraguay manage to attract so many investors to your country? Artificial intelligence, prawns. You guys don't... where do you get the prawns and then export them?
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Santiago Peña2:03
The prawns come from the coasts of Argentina. Of course. And they are processed in Paraguay and then exported to Europe and the United States. This has been a long road, Eduardo, of a lot of work, a lot of effort, and understanding that Paraguay, just as it has enormous advantages, also has enormous adversities. A landlocked country, we have to be more agile, more efficient, more competitive. We are next to two giant powers like Argentina and Brazil, which forces us to be more efficient, more competitive, to have to be more agile, and that is the answer. We have been working for many years, and in my case, for almost 3 years as President of the Republic, I had the privilege of meeting you when I was still a pre-candidate in the party primaries, and with that momentum and desire, today I tell you that after 3 years I am even more excited, with more desire. Economic growth, poverty reduction, investment has grown, but we are not satisfied. Paraguayans still want more. Paraguayans want to keep advancing, and we are convinced that we have a great future ahead. We need Argentina to do well. I personally have a very close relationship with Javier Milei and I am really encouraged by things. I know it is a difficult process, we lived through it in the past, but I am sure that if Argentina maintains this pace, it will become that great power that Javier Milei always talks about.
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Eduardo3:31
Well, President, did you see that the waterway project is practically finished? I imagine that gives you satisfaction.
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Santiago Peña3:41
A lot of satisfaction. For us, it is the outlet to the sea. It is what makes Paraguay not a purely landlocked country. The waterway is fundamental for us. Access to ports through the Río de la Plata is key, and with the projects we are carrying out, because it is not only data centers, artificial intelligence, energy, we are also advancing a lot in the forestry business. A cellulose plant is being installed in Paraguay, and for that project, the waterway is essential. So we are very excited, working very closely with the...
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Reporter4:15
The President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, a great ally of the government of Javier Milei, once again recognized the achievements of this president who is pulling Argentina forward and, consequently, also benefiting his country, since the best way to progress is through the free market and the private sector. Something that the Paraguayan brothers achieved a long time ago, with practically zero inflation and total confidence regarding the arrival of investments and other ventures, because in that place there is no famous country risk with economic flat-earthers who go against the world. That is why this is the great battle of the libertarian economist. To definitively banish them so that a country can be projected not only in the coming months, but in the following decades, so that when Javo is no longer in power after a possible re-election, whoever succeeds him continues with policies that bring prosperity to Argentines, lifting the weight of the state off their backs.
