The Brazilian president chose the United States as his first official foreign destination to demonstrate that his foreign policy priority is closer ties with the world's largest economy.
The situation in Venezuela, the use of the Brazilian space base in Alcántara by US companies and measures to stimulate bilateral trade are on the agenda of the official visit that the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, will begin this Sunday (17.3.2019) to the United States.
Bolsonaro chose the United States as his first official foreign destination to demonstrate that his foreign policy priority is a closer relationship with the world's largest economy, a gesture to which Trump responded by hosting the Brazilian leader at Blair House, the residence for special guests of the US government within the White House complex.
Spokespeople for both governments have indicated that one of the topics of the meeting between Bolsonaro and Trump will be the situation in Venezuela.
"We will reiterate our commitment to defend democracy, especially in the region and more specifically in Venezuela, in which we have been acting very decisively," said Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo in a recent live broadcast on the social network Facebook alongside Bolsonaro.
Brazil and the United States were among the first countries to recognize Juan Guaidó, president of the Venezuelan Parliament, as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, considering that Nicolás Maduro is usurping power.
The two leaders will also discuss possible measures to deliver humanitarian aid offered to Venezuela by both countries, which is being held up due to the decision of the Government of Caracas to close the borders.
Although Washington advocates stronger pressure on Venezuela, Brasilia has said it hopes for a peaceful solution and rules out any kind of intervention in the neighbouring country.
Bolsonaro has already announced that he will take advantage of the visit to sign a technological safeguards agreement that allows the United States to launch satellite-carrying rockets from Alcántara, a Brazilian space base that, due to its strategic location near the equator, entails significant fuel savings in space operations.
"It's a very important agreement. We have been losing money in that region for a long time. If we had already signed, we would be the largest satellite launcher in the world," he said.
Among other issues on the agenda are opportunities for cooperation in the military area., which includes the possibility that the US might consider Brazil as a strategic military ally outside of NATO, the strengthening of democracy in Latin America, the fight against international crime and economic promotion measures.
Araújo said that Brazil wants to take advantage of the visit to ask the United States to eliminate the visa requirement for Brazilian tourists., which has been under negotiation for months and which has been facilitated by Brasilia's decision to unilaterally eliminate this requirement for Americans.
During the meeting between Bolsonaro and Trump, agreements will be signed in areas such as energy, security, defense, biodiversity, trade and, especially, agriculture.
The Brazilian president, leading a delegation that includes six ministers, will leave for Washington on Sunday morning and that same day will have dinner with various authorities and opinion makers at the residence of the Brazilian ambassador in Washington.
On March 18, he will participate in various economic forums, including one on investments promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and another on "the future of the Brazilian economy" organized by the Brazil-United States Business Committee.
On Tuesday, after meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, at Blair House, Bolsonaro will hold a private meeting with Trump in the Oval Office of the White House.
The two leaders will then hold a working lunch and an extended meeting with ministers from both countries, followed by a press conference in the White House Rose Garden.
Source: Reuters
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