Mauro Vieira Invites Venezuela’s New Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco to Visit Brazil

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met with Venezuela’s new foreign minister, Oliver Blanco, in Spain on Tuesday, Nov. 3, while Vieira was there for official engagements. Vieira invited Blanco to visit Brazil, and Blanco accepted. It was their first meeting since Blanco took over Venezuela’s foreign ministry.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said the two discussed the recent crisis following earthquakes that struck the region in June, as well as restarting talks on shared interests, including trade relations and cooperation in the Amazon. Blanco assumed the diplomatic post last week at the direction of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, replacing Félix Plasencia, who was appointed to lead the International Affairs office of the presidency.

Rodríguez has governed Venezuela since the beginning of the year, after Nicolás Maduro was captured and removed from power by the United States, according to the account. She had served as Maduro’s vice president and has pursued closer ties with Washington. The United States has taken a central role in Venezuela’s administration and in oversight of its oil reserves. That dialogue with the White House differs from Maduro’s policy of distancing himself from Washington. He had frequently confronted the United States and blamed it for some of Venezuela’s economic difficulties and humanitarian crisis.

Blanco had already served in Venezuela’s diplomatic corps, managing relations with European and North American countries. Days after taking office, he traveled to the United States and met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a visit described as signaling alignment with the Donald Trump administration. Brazil, by contrast, has advocated dialogue with Maduro and criticized the U.S. operation that captured him. Diplomatic sources say Brazil-Venezuela relations are not expected to weaken amid U.S. involvement in the Caribbean country, though Brazil remains cautious about the country’s future direction.