HO / JAIR BOLSONARO’S PRESS OFFICE / AFP
President Donald Trump has invited Brazil’s president-elect Jair Bolsonaro to visit the United States, his security chief John Bolton said on Thursday after meeting with the recently elected leader of the South American giant.
National Security Adviser Bolton’s visit was the first high-level meeting between the two administrations that have drawn comparisons over similar positions on issues such as the environment, gun control, Chinese trade and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Bolton wrote on Twitter that he and Bolsonaro had “enjoyed a wide-ranging, very productive discussion,” and that the United States would “look forward to a dynamic partnership” with Brasilia’s new administration, due to assume office on January 1.
Bolsonaro also took to social media where he called the talks “productive and welcome.”
The Rio de Janeiro meeting lasted one hour. Bolton didn’t speak to reporters when he left, but he later posted some pictures of the encounter on Twitter.
Far-right Bolsonaro’s new defence, institutional security and foreign affairs ministers were also present.
Bolton had said on Tuesday he was heading to Brazil to “prepare the ground for the two leaders.”
“President Trump was the first foreign leader to call the president-elect,” Bolton had recalled on Tuesday.
“We see this as a historic opportunity for Brazil and the United States to work together, a whole host of areas — economics, security and a range of others.”
Bolsonaro is a fervent Trump admirer and has made no secret of his intention to reorient Brazilian diplomacy towards Washington.
The president-elect followed Trump’s footsteps in announcing his intention to move Brazil’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, breaking with a half-century of diplomacy.
He also alienated China, the world’s second-biggest economy, by accusing it of “buying Brazil,” and then turning his attention to Taiwan, which he visited in February.
Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, appears set to be a key regional ally for Washington in its desire to further isolate left-leaning regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
This week, Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, visited the United States as a special envoy for the new administration.
There he met with political and business leaders and attended the birthday celebrations of former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, an ardent supporter of right-wing populist movements around the world.
Eduardo Bolsonaro also sparked controversy when he was pictured wearing a cap supporting Trump’s 2020 bid for re-election.
AFP
