Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump instructed their negotiators to deepen discussions prior to the possible signing of a bilateral trade package.
The President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, was received on Saturday night (7), at a dinner offered by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the Mar-a-Lago residence. Resort belonging to the US Chief Executive himself in Palm Beach, Florida. In a joint statement, the Planalto and the White House reaffirmed the alliance with the aim of strengthening democracy and promoting peace and security.
Interested in intensifying the economic partnership between Brazil and the United States, Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump have instructed their negotiators to deepen discussions prior to the possible signing of a bilateral trade package. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the information. The intention is for an agreement to be signed this year.
The presidents were accompanied by members of the government team, advisors and journalists. The two heads of state discussed some topics of interest to both countries, such as the potential benefits of expanding bilateral economic relations.
OECD
In a statement released in the early hours of Sunday (8), the Itamaraty treats the deepening of the partnership as a “strategic alliance” between the two countries. According to the ministry, Trump reiterated US support for the beginning of the process of Brazil’s entry into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
In a conversation with journalists in the company of Bolsonaro, Trump was asked about the possibility of the United States overtaxing products imported from Brazil as a way of offsetting the negative impacts that the devalued real in comparison to the dollar could cause to North American producers. Trump responded by saying that he would not make any promises on the matter.
Brazil's acceleration of the Authorized Economic Operators program was also discussed by the presidents. The program will speed up trade between the two countries by ensuring the safety of imported goods. The goal is to reach an agreement in 2021.
“I am very happy to be friends with the American government,” Bolsonaro said on Twitter.
Also on Twitter, Chancellor Ernesto Araújo commented that the presidential talks allow progress “in building a Brazil-US alliance for democracy, security and prosperity.”
Latin America and the Middle East
According to the Foreign Ministry, Bolsonaro and Trump renewed their governments' support for the self-declared president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó; and for the holding of free and fair elections in Bolivia, scheduled to take place in May. The two presidents also renewed their commitment to peace and prosperity in the Middle East, with the Brazilian praising the US proposal to encourage peaceful coexistence between the State of Israel and a Palestinian state.
The two leaders also discussed negotiations to sign bilateral cooperation agreements in other areas, including military research and development; aerospace; science and technology; health and innovation.