The first countries with which Brazil will strengthen ties under Lula da Silva’s administration

Venezuela and Argentina will be the first states with which Brazil will re-establish diplomatic relations after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s rise to power, declared the Center for Ibero-American Studies at St. Petersburg director State University, Víctor Jéifets.

“The first two countries that may see some change are Venezuela and Argentina,” said Jéifets.

He recalled that during the government of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, relations with Buenos Aires “were very bad” since the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, “did not hide his sympathies towards da Silva”.

The professor stressed that during Bolsonaro’s term, “there were only very official relations between Argentina and Brazil, while during the previous governments there were also ties at the level of foreign ministers, and the level of other ministries.”

“With the return of Lula da Silva to power, relations between Brazil and Argentina are going to be much friendlier and much closer,” he determined.

Regarding Venezuela, the professor and founder of the International Forum Russia and Ibero-America considers that Lula da Silva “will re-establish the recognition of the government of (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro, because they never broke diplomatic relations” between the two countries.

“Although I do not believe that they will return to the level of very close relations, almost allied, as those that da Silva and [former Venezuelan President] Hugo Chávez had,” he said.

According to Jéifets, “if Lula da Silva and the Workers’ Party (PT) recognize that there are problems with human rights in Venezuela,” the ties between Brasilia and Caracas will not be at the same level as they were during the first decade of the 21st century.

“There is going to be a much softer stance from Brazil towards the Venezuelan government,” he added.

With information from Sputnik