RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A large part of the diplomatic community was taken by surprise on Saturday, April 25th, by news of Ambassador Sérgio Danese’s exit from the Brazilian Embassy in Buenos Aires, regarded as the second most important position after Washington DC in the United States.
The move comes in the wake of President Fernandéz’s decision to pause Mercosur’s free trade negotiations. The bloc is currently negotiating with Canada, South Korea, Lebanon, and Singapore.
The announcement of the suspension of Argentine participation was made on Friday, April 24th, in a videoconference meeting with the other members of the bloc.
On Saturday evening, Fernandéz gave a statement on the Coronavirus crisis and Mercosur. The Argentinian president clarified that he will not abandon the bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
Right after the speech, Fernandéz gave an interview to C5N TV channel where he spoke again about Argentina’s continued presence in Mercosur.
The day before, the President had been harshly criticized by Argentinian diplomats and political scientists for the way in which the suspension of the country’s participation in the negotiations being conducted by Mercosur was reported.
“It’s nonsense,” he said, referring to the notion that Argentina could leave Mercosur. “We seek unity among the countries in the continent.”
However, behind the scenes of Latin American diplomacy, the announcement of changes in the Brazilian embassy in Buenos Aires drew attention. Danese is considered a skilled, experienced diplomat of proven competence.
He was the first secretary of the Brazilian embassy in Washington and an advisor to the embassy in Paris, as well as being in charge of business and minister-advisor in Buenos Aires.
Argentina’s move to temporarily halt its participation at the Mercosur negotiating table also led a number of diplomats to raise their eyebrows in disbelief. Others felt that the economic crisis in Argentina could be a strong enough reason for the country to decide to focus on domestic issues for the time being.
Argentina has failed to pay the US$502 million portion of its foreign debt that matured in April and is at risk of entering a moratorium.
Fernandéz announced on Saturday that the coronavirus quarantine should be extended until May 10th, with a certain degree of flexibility only in smaller towns recording fewer cases. There are 3,780 people infected nationwide, most of them in municipalities with over 500,000 inhabitants.
Assigning diplomats from the country to handle negotiations that could take years to be completed would not be among President Alberto Fernandéz’s current priorities.
Danese is expected to be replaced by Reinaldo Salgado, the current secretary of Bilateral Negotiations in Asia, the Pacific, and Russia at Itamaraty, based in Brasília.
Close to Bolsonaro and Chancellor Ernesto Araújo, Salgado will be tasked with continuing the historic partnership between Brazil and Argentina.
Trade relations between the two countries are progressing well, but political ties are not as vibrant. Bolsonaro missed Fernandéz’s inauguration ceremony on December 10th, 2019. He sent General Hamilton Mourão in his place. He also spared no criticism of the incumbent during the Argentine presidential campaign.
Danese is expected to be assigned to a country with significant importance in its relations with Brazil, given his excellent résumé. Salgado, in turn, will be promoted to one of the most prominent positions in Brazilian diplomacy. The change should occur within two or three months.
Source: Exame