RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian government has decided to prohibit high-ranking Venezuelan officials from entering the country. The decision was announced on Monday, August 5th, after a meeting of the Lima Group in the Peruvian capital, attended by the Brazilian Chancellor, Ernesto Araújo.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) declared that “in line with the guidelines adopted by the Lima Group, the Brazilian government decided to issue an interministerial decree to prevent the entry of senior officials of the Venezuelan regime into Brazilian territory. It is an action that finds backing in the Brazilian legal system.”
According to Itamaraty, the list of officials who will be targeted by this measure is continually updated, given the dynamic nature of Venezuelan domestic politics. The disclosure of the names on the list will take place after the publication of the normative ruling.
The ministerial decree is in its final stages with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice and Public Security. Today, the Lima Group meeting, in support of the self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, was attended by foreign ministers and representatives of countries from five continents.
The event, entitled “International Conference for Democracy in Venezuela”, sought to examine the country’s current situation and its regional impacts from different perspectives, in an environment of dialogue and reflection. According to a statement from the Peruvian government, the goal is to help Venezuelans overcome the country’s current plight, based on its constitutional order, the principles of international law and the democratic system.
The Lima Group consists of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia.