U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration will continue working with Brazil’s government and urged it to approve the nomination of Daniel Pérez as U.S. ambassador. (Foto: Instagram)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Donald Trump administration will continue dealing with Brazil’s government following Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election. Rubio made the remarks Monday, Nov. 9, on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in France. Asked about relations between Washington and Brasília, he said, “We will be dealing with the Brazilian government. We were dealing with it before.”
Rubio also pointed to issues he said the two countries need to resolve, including Brazil’s approval of Daniel Pérez, Trump’s choice to serve as U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Brazil has not granted the diplomatic approval, known as agrément, needed for Pérez to take up the post.
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, known as Itamaraty, has said the delay stems from the U.S. skipping diplomatic steps and procedures when it announced Pérez’s nomination. Washington, in response, revoked the visa of Maria Luiza Viotti, Brazil’s current ambassador to the United States.
Rubio called the lack of approval a problem and said the United States expects Brazil to address it. “Danny Perez is our nominee, and they have not granted agrément. That needs to be fixed, and we hope they fix it,” he said, adding that blocking the U.S. ambassador from entering Brazil did not set a good tone for bilateral relations. Brazil has an ambassador in the United States, he said, but “at some point this imbalance cannot continue.”
Rubio also said trade issues should be discussed by the two countries. Brazil is currently subject to two tariffs that together total 37.5%.
