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Brazil’s Bolsonaro to visit Trump this month
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump will host
his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro on March 19, the White House said
Friday, the first meeting between the two rightwing leaders who have lavished
praise on each other.
The visit was announced by Brazil’s foreign ministry last month but a firm
date had not been finalized.
Bolsonaro, who entered office in January, has vowed to forge close ties
with Washington after over a decade of leftist rule in Brazil, and has been
dubbed “South America’s Trump.”
“President Trump and President Bolsonaro will discuss how to build a more
prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere,” the White House said.
“The leaders of the Hemisphere’s two largest economies will also discuss
opportunities for defense cooperation, pro-growth trade policies, combatting
transnational crime, and restoring democracy in Venezuela.
“Finally, they will talk about the major role that the United States and
Brazil are playing in the effort to provide humanitarian assistance to
Venezuela.”
Bolsonaro and Trump both favor regime change in Venezuela, and are harsh
critics of the Cuban and Nicaraguan governments.
Like Trump, Bolsonaro is a climate change sceptic, whose pro-business
agenda and appointment of a like-minded right-winger as environment minister
have done nothing to ease concerns about deforestation in the Amazon.
BSS/AFP/SSS/0823 hrs