A delegation of congressmen from the United States Democratic Party arrives in Brasília this Monday (14th) to discuss the North American country’s relations with Latin America. The trip will be led by progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In addition to the parliamentarian, who has a more left-wing view of the party, the delegation also includes representatives Joaquín Castro, Nydia Velázquez, Greg Casar and Maxwell Frost. Misty Rebik, Senator Bernie Sanders’ chief of staff, is also on the team. The delegation will also visit Santiago, Chile, and Bogotá, Colombia.
During their stay in Brazil, congressmen will meet with various authorities, including the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad; the Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha; the special advisor to the Presidency for international affairs, Celso Amorim; and Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA), CPMI rapporteur for the January 8 acts, in addition to other representatives of the National Congress and the federal government. The official agendas of those mentioned do not include meetings with US congressmen.
Although not yet confirmed, it is expected that the delegation will also meet with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), according to information from Newspaper. There is also the expectation of an informal dinner with Brazilian political leaders and members of the government to honor the delegation. Lula is not expected to participate in the meetings on this first day, as she travels to Paraguay in the afternoon to attend the inauguration of President-elect Santiago Peña.
“US foreign policy in Latin America is often ignored, but if we really want to tackle the issues of migration, climate and democracy, we must chart a new course. This week I will be in Brazil, Chile and Colombia with colleagues to start that conversation”, said Alexandria.
The visit to the three countries aims to discuss “shared challenges” and strengthen relations between the United States and Latin America, in matters such as migration, climate and democracy, which, in the view of the democratic delegation, is no longer protected by the country government.
Greg Casar has criticized past US foreign policy in Latin America, stating that his country “often contributed to instability in Latin America. We should be protecting democracy instead of supporting coups, and we should be creating peace and prosperity throughout the Western Hemisphere instead of repeating the Cold War.”
“It is past time for a realignment of the relationship between the United States and Latin America. The US needs to publicly acknowledge the harm we have committed through interventionist and extractive policies and chart a new course based on trust and mutual respect,” Alexandria recently told the Los Angeles Times.
Among the points to be discussed by the delegation with the Brazilian authorities are the responses to the acts of January 8, Brazil’s role in the G20, the government’s ecological transition strategy, the protection of indigenous lands and the Amazon, cooperation bilateral cooperation and participation in COP30.
According to a survey by Folha de São Paulo, the delegation is also planning meetings with representatives of social movements, such as the MST, MTST and CUT. The trip is organized by the Center for Economic and Political Research (CEPR).
Alex Main, director of International Policy at CEPR, pointed out that the delegation is aware of the history of US support for anti-democratic coups, such as the 1964 in Brazil and the 1973 in Chile. He stressed that the delegation is committed to preventing this history from repeating itself.
The month before, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez requested the release of US intelligence documents about the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985).
#Democratic #Representatives #Arrive #Brazil #Discuss #Migration #Climate