The Lula government decided not to sign the Mercosur statement calling for the “restoration of democracy” in Venezuela. Itamaraty’s assessment was that the text ignored the foreign military presence in the Caribbean and could be interpreted as an endorsement of United States actions in the region.
The initiative for the document came from the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, during the Mercosur summit held in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná. Argentina, Paraguay and other members of Mercosur supported the text; Brazil and Uruguay were left out.
According to Brazilian diplomats, the Venezuela issue had been being negotiated for weeks. Brazil agreed to address human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis under the government of Nicolás Maduro. Still, he defended a more balanced position for the bloc.
For Itamaraty, this balance required the inclusion of a warning about the presence of international military forces in the Caribbean. The Brazilian government considers this action a direct threat to regional sovereignty and stability in South America.
Uruguay followed the Brazilian position and did not sign a Mercosur statement
The other countries rejected the section. Faced with the impasse, Brazil left the negotiating table and did not adhere to the final text. Uruguay made the same decision.
A diplomat who followed the negotiations stated that Brazil was already aware of the Argentine initiative, but regretted the outcome.
“We knew that they would create the document. It is their right. As Brazil had already made its position public, the other countries did not consult the Brazilian government about the language of the text. We regret that there was no traditional statement from Mercosur States Parties and Associates”, said a diplomat who followed the negotiations.
To date, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not officially commented on the episode.
Mercosur statement pushes for democracy in Venezuela
The statement released yesterday brought together the signatures of the presidents of Argentina, Javier Milei, of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, and of Panama, José Raúl Mulino. High-ranking authorities from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru also endorsed the text.
In the document, the signatories expressed “deep concern” about the migratory, humanitarian and social crisis in Venezuela, a country that remains suspended from Mercosur.
The text states that the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promoting, through peaceful means, the full restoration of democratic order and unrestricted respect for human rights in Venezuelan territory.
