The new Venezuelan ambassador to Brazil, Manuel Vadell, handed over his diplomatic credentials to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) this Wednesday afternoon (24), in an act that formalized the reestablishment of relations between the two countries.
Vadell had been appointed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in December 2022, even before Lula’s inauguration. After the ceremony, Maduro said that the normalization of relations between Brazil and Venezuela is “a big step” that constitutes “a new starting point for the consolidation of the union between both brotherly peoples”.
The presence of a new Venezuelan ambassador in Brazil ends a period of three years in which the neighboring country did not have its diplomatic representatives recognized by the Brazilian government. This is because the previous government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) had decided to recognize the parallel government of Juan Guaidó and, consequently, its allies as legitimate diplomats.
::What’s happening in Venezuela::
Lula’s arrival in the presidency put an end to a policy of hostilities against Caracas initiated by the Bolsonaro government, which included the closure of the Brazilian embassy in Venezuela and the expulsion of Venezuelan diplomats from Brazil.
In a note, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Lula’s victory in the elections “allowed the reestablishment of diplomatic relations guided by the struggle for a new world order based on respect for the self-determination of peoples.”
::Guaidó was abominable for democracy in Venezuela, says Lula::
Brazil, for its part, has had a chargé d’affaires in Venezuela since January to reopen the embassy and reactivate consular services. Diplomat Flávio Macieira spoke exclusively with the Brazil in fact in March and defended rapprochement between the two countries.
Visit of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency
Last Wednesday (17), a delegation from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) visited Venezuela, marking the first technical visit by members of the Brazilian government since the beginning of the mandate of the new PT government. The mission was made up of representatives from various Brazilian technical bodies who met with their Venezuelan counterparts to discuss the status of existing agreements between the countries.
The group was headed by ABC director Ruy Pereira, who was Brazil’s last ambassador to Venezuela. Pereira was declared persona non grata by Caracas in late 2017 and was expelled from the country. At the time, the Venezuelan government justified the decision by arguing that the removal of former President Dilma Rousseff was unconstitutional and that, therefore, it could not keep an ambassador of a government considered illegitimate.
::Colombia summit attracts US and EU, but immediate sanctions relief on Venezuela unlikely::
During the visit, last Thursday (18), Pereira was received by President Nicolás Maduro and also met with the Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, and with the Venezuelan Chancellor, Yván Gil.
Brazilian government sources heard by the Brazil in fact stated that the visit served to review existing agreements between Brazil and Venezuela and, possibly, develop new agreements. Still according to the sources consulted by the report, the expectation is that in the next few days, President Nicolás Maduro will visit Brazil to participate in the meeting between South American presidents on May 30 and, during a meeting with Lula, both sign a first memorandum for the re-establishment of cooperation agreements.
Editing: Thales Schmidt
