The United States canceled the visa of the Brazilian ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Viotti, in retaliation for the Brazilian Government’s delay in granting agrément to the U.S. ambassador designated for Brasilia.
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Washington accuses Brazil of having withheld the formal diplomatic approval of the ambassador appointed by the Trump Administration and has accused Brazil of denying visas to several U.S. diplomats, a senior State Department official reported on Tuesday.
The diplomat’s visa will be reinstated if the situation is resolved, the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Other U.S. officials reported that the measure had been postponed to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down.
Washington complains that Lula’s Government rejected visas for two U.S. diplomats seeking to visit Brazil before the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for next October.
The State Department, led by Marco Rubio, said that the denial of the visa to the Brazilian ambassador is a reciprocal response to the actions of the Brazilian Executive, according to AP. U.S. officials say they delayed the measure several times to give the Brazilian president time to amend the situation.
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Sources from the department equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the sanction could be remedied as soon as Brazil recognizes the ambassador chosen by Trump. “Reciprocity is fundamental,” said a State Department official, according to statements collected by Associated Press.
The State Department has explained that the Brazilian ambassador, María Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, will be able to continue residing in her home in the United States despite the visa revocation. What she will not be able to do is maintain the official representation of her country before U.S. authorities until the situation is resolved.
U.S. officials explain that Ribeiro Viotti will be able to resume her official duties if the Brazilian government accepts the appointment of Danny Pérez, former president of the Florida House of Representatives, as U.S. ambassador to Brazil. U.S. authorities believe the situation will not normalize until after the upcoming legislative and presidential elections in the Latin American country.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries are not at their best. The two American leaders are ideologically at opposite ends. The Donald Trump Administration has gradually hardened its rhetoric against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A couple of weeks ago it imposed a new tariff of up to 37.5% on a wide variety of Brazilian products alleging that Lula was “negotiating in bad faith.”
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