In his first meeting with Joe Biden since the American came to power, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) defended the sovereignty of the Amazon, criticized the “stay at home” policy to combat the pandemic and called for auditable elections.
He also said that he intends to end his government in a democratic way, calling for clean, reliable and auditable elections. “So that there is no doubt afterwards. I am sure that it will be carried out in this democratic spirit. I arrived for democracy and I am sure that when I leave the government it will also be in a democratic way,” he said.
The two presidents met for the first time this Thursday (9), after a year and a half of a distant relationship, in which there was not even a phone call between the leaders of two of the largest countries in the Americas. The meeting started around 4 pm (8 pm in BrasÃlia), in an exhibition pavilion in Los Angeles, where the ninth edition of the Summit of the Americas is being held.
In his opening words, Biden praised Brazil. He said that the country has a vibrant democracy, with robust electoral institutions, that it has done a good job of protecting the Amazon and that it intended to address some issues of common interest with the Brazilian.
At the meeting, all of the delegations from both countries were wearing masks, except for the presidents. Biden and Bolsonaro sat about two meters apart. They barely looked at each other as they spoke. THE Sheet was one of the vehicles that were able to follow the opening speech of the two leaders. Bolsonaro spoke for longer than Biden and sought to justify his positions, such as the stance adopted in the conflict with Russia. They didn’t answer questions. Then the conversation continued behind closed doors.
The leaders were joined by other authorities. On the Brazilian side, the list included the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), the chancellor Carlos França, the ministers of Justice, Health and the Environment, the ambassador to the USA, Nestor Forster, and the secretary of Strategic, João Alfredo Júnior.
On the American side were Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Brian Nichols, Director of the Western Department of the NSC (National Security Council) Juan González , NSC Director of Border Security Katie Tobin and NSC Director for Caribbean Affairs Nada Brown.
Before the meeting, Bolsonaro told journalists that he was calm and that he intended to use the meeting to strengthen the relationship with the US government. According to him, his closeness to former President Donald Trump was left behind. “I didn’t come here to talk about this matter. It’s in the past. You know I had an excellent relationship with President Trump. matter,” said Bolsonaro, as he left the hotel.
“We need to deepen our relationship, I’ve always held the American people in high regard, we have common values ​​like democracy and freedom, and it’s going to be a good meeting with President Biden.” he said.
Bolsonaro defended Trump, who was defeated by Biden in the 2020 elections. At the time, the Brazilian leader declared his support for the Republican and, after the vote, even questioned Biden’s victory, echoing the fanciful speech that the election would have been rigged — he did it on Tuesday (7), before traveling to the US. “Who says [sobre fraude] it’s the American people. I will not go into detail on the sovereignty of another country. Now, Trump was doing very well, and a lot of things came to us that we are wary of. We don’t want that to happen in Brazil,” he said in an interview with SBT.
This Thursday, questioned by journalists in front of the hotel about the expectation of obtaining new resources for the Amazon, Bolsonaro pondered that the question is whether the promises will in fact be fulfilled and criticized environmental entities. “You have to be concerned about money used by NGOs. We had NGOs in Brazil that took money from the government and gave it to the MST. I cut it there”, he said, without presenting evidence.
Biden agreed to meet with Bolsonaro as a way of convincing him to travel to the Summit of the Americas, an event that was in danger of being deflated. Eight heads of state on the continent decided to boycott the main meeting of leaders on the continent, in response to the US decision not to invite the regimes of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, dictatorships considered pariahs by Washington.
At the official opening of the event, this Wednesday, Biden stressed the importance of defending democracy and human rights. “At a time when democracy is under attack around the world, let’s come together again and renew our conviction that democracy is not just the defining factor of American history, it is an essential ingredient of the future of the Americas,” he said.
Bolsonaro landed in Los Angeles this Thursday morning (9). Upon arriving at the hotel, he greeted a small group of supporters, called Power Grannies from Las Vegas, who had traveled to meet him. Hours later, he chatted with them for about half an hour in the hotel lobby.
“We pray every day that the president can face up to his challenges. We are very rooting for him,” said Suzana Fortes, 66, one of the group’s members who has been in the US for 35 years.
On Thursday night, Biden will host a dinner for foreign leaders who came to the summit. Bolsonaro is due to speak at one of the plenary sessions on Friday (10). The Brazilian president stays in Los Angeles until Friday. He then travels to Orlando, where he will inaugurate a Brazilian vice consulate in the city and will meet with supporters.
