Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernesto Araujo on Friday plunged immediately into the divisive question of Venezuela, urging his counterparts from BRICS nations Russia, China, India and South Africa to hear Venezuelans’ “cry for freedom.”
“Brazil has heard that cry. I appeal to you all to listen to it too,” Araujo said at the opening session, reiterating his government’s support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido over President Nicolas Maduro.
Few issues divide the informal trade group as deeply as how to deal with Venezuela, whose socialist government is strongly backed by Russia and China, but a mass migration caused by the nation’s economic and political crisis has led to an influx of tens of thousands in Brazil.
Araujo denounced “a regime sustained by force” that he said has led to extreme poverty, hunger and “the exodus of 4 million Venezuelans.”
However, he agreed with Russia on one key point: opposition to foreign intervention.
“We agree that the solution must be constructed by Venezuelans,” Araujo told reporters later.
The focus on Venezuela led to a discordant start for the meeting of emerging economies — in contrast to past gatherings held under former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, which drew other leftist governments together against Washington.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has compared himself to US President Donald Trump, complained about Russia’s support of Maduro and suggested allowing a US military presence in Brazil.
Before entering the Cabinet, Araujo had been deeply skeptical of China, suggesting on his blog that its extensive investments in Brazil were a threat to national sovereignty.
He also wrote that climate change was a plot piloted by “cultural Marxism” to promote China’s growth.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov responded to Araujo’s plea by saying that the approach to Venezuela should be based on “international law and give support to Venezuelans without external interference, and always with [respect to] the constitution.”
Oliver Stuenkel, an associate professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, said that he did not expect much to come of either entrenched position.
“Despite Brazil caring a lot about this topic, I think it is very unlikely to see anything substantive vis-a-vis Venezuela coming out of this summit,” he said.
The meeting is supposed to lay the groundwork for a November summit of the five nations’ leaders that would focus on forging agreements on trade and technology, and fighting terrorism and international crime.
Separately, Araujo confirmed that Bolsonaro’s administration has officially nominated Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president’s son, to be Brazil’s ambassador to the US.
The proposal would have to be cleared by Washington and approved by the Brazilian Senate.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS