Brazilian diplomats in the United States viewed with relief Ernesto Araújo’s departure from the Foreign Ministry and hope the change of command in the Foreign Ministry will be a chance for the country to reopen blocked diplomatic channels and increase the effectiveness of bilateral relations with the White House.
The assessment is that Ernesto’s performance, based on ideological pillars, was ineffective both on direct contact with the US government – which requires pragmatism under Democrat Joe Biden – and on businessmen and women. investors based in the United States who have an interest in Brazil.
Among the main complaints was the fact that the now ex-chancellor blocked important dialogues with his less objective speech and came close to the post considered criminal when he failed in negotiations related to the pandemic, such as those revolving around requests to purchase or donate surplus vaccines that are in US stocks.
Admirer of Donald Trump, Ernesto did not seek to build bridges with the Biden government, work concentrated at the Brazilian embassy in Washington.
One of the functions of the embassy is to open doors and establish relationships with different bodies of government and American society, but some diplomats say that mastery of the first-level dialogue is fundamental and, in Ernesto’s case, it was ineffective.
Since Biden took office on Jan.20, Ernesto had spoken to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call marked by the American as he spoke to other of his peers in Latin America. .
The former chancellor also spoke with the Biden government’s special climate envoy John Kerry alongside Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles during a virtual meeting hosted by the Brazilian ambassador. in the United States, Nestor Forster.
On vaccines, however, Ernesto hasn’t done much. Last week, the Foreign Ministry announced it had started negotiations with the White House over a possible import of Covid-19 vaccines on March 13, after other countries, such as Mexico, had already made a similar request. .
The date released by the Brazilian government also follows news in the U.S. press that the Biden government was under pressure to share AstraZeneca vaccines.
The United States has donated additional doses of vaccine to Mexico and Canada – the Mexican request arrived on March 10, during a virtual meeting between Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, but there is no no sign of donations to Brazilians or other countries.
Ernesto also tried to keep Brazil out of Covax, the WHO mechanism for distributing vaccines to developing countries, because he believes it is a globalist initiative – the United States is part of the consortium and the surplus vaccine in the country could be donated by his own.
Already in presentations to the U.S. private sector, diplomats say, Ernesto has lost his credibility by focusing his speech on ideological issues and moving very superficially – or with quotes to obvious themes – through Brazil’s relations with the United States. United States.
One of the most recent examples was a chancellor’s conference held almost in early March by the US think tank Council of the Americas. In 40 minutes, Ernesto had spoken a lot and answered a few questions, claiming that Brazil wanted US support to fight “narcosocialism” in Latin America.