The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos França, criticized today (18) the economic sanctions applied to Russia, due to the conflict with Ukraine. According to the chancellor, the Brazilian government’s position is that unilateral sanctions exacerbate the economic effects of the conflict and affect developing countries, which are dependent on imports of food and other basic inputs.
“The sanctions imposed exacerbate the economic effects of the conflict and have an increasingly evident impact on the supply chains of essential products. The sanctions imposed seek to preserve the immediate interests of a small group of countries, harming, at the same time, the vast majority of the international community, especially in the developing world”, said França during a hearing at the Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies to debate the folder actions.
According to the minister, the sanctions affect the ability of several countries to acquire inputs and products necessary for food security on the international market. France also said that many developing countries have implemented measures, in parallel, to block the export of products for fear of shortages in domestic markets. For him, this has generated uncertainties, such as Brazil’s difficulty in importing fertilizers, for example.
“Across all continents, we see countries mainly developing and some very poor countries suffering increasing difficulties, not only in importing essential goods, but also in exporting products in which they are competitive, all as a result of the restrictions currently in force in the international system of payments, because of the sanctions,” said França. “Our priority is to ensure a continuous supply of fertilizers for our agricultural production,” she added.
Dialogue
To the deputies, the minister reiterated the Brazilian government’s position of rejecting an automatic adhesion to one of the parties to the conflict. He cited India and Turkey as countries that adopted the same stance. France said the country defends an immediate ceasefire between the parties and the search for dialogue to overcome the conflict.
According to the minister, a conflict involving countries with nuclear capabilities cannot escalate. In the opinion of the head of the Itamaraty, the solution to the conflict must address the concerns “from all sides”.
“We reiterate our grave concern about the impacts of the conflict in terms of loss of human life and destruction of vital infrastructure. We defend and have voted in favor of the prompt investigation of all human rights violations in the conflict. We continue to advocate an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated solution for a lasting peace; and an immediate and lasting peace will, of necessity, need to address the concerns of all sides,” he said.
Mercosur
When dealing with Brazil’s participation in Mercosur, the minister defended the government’s position of reviewing the bloc’s common external tariff. Currently, exports to the member countries of the bloc occupy fourth place in Brazil’s foreign trade balance, behind China, the United States and the European Union.
Exports to Mercosur represented 15% in the year 2000, currently this total has dropped to 7%. “This decrease is related to the rise of Asia in world trade”, he justified.
Elections 2022
When questioned by deputy Perpétua Almeida (PCdoB-AC) about the decision of the Superior Electoral Court to invite external observers from the European Union to follow the elections in the country in 2022, the minister said that he saw the invitation with surprise.
To the deputies, França said that the TSE wanted to invite the European Union and he suggested extending the invitation to other organizations, such as the Carter Center, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the Mercosur parliament, the ParlaSul. The announcement made by the TSE in April generated a reaction from the government, causing the Electoral Court to withdraw from the invitation.
“To the president [Edson] Fachin, from the TSE, I suggested and he accepted that suggestion that we have the CPLP and would have, as the TSE wanted, a European country, like Portugal”, he said.
“In the European Union I saw it with some strangeness and it was even the subject of my note. Because I think it is difficult for us to have an organization in which we are not part as an electoral observer in Brazil. And secondly, because the European Union does not observe the elections of its own members”, justified França.
