The future Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, said today (14) that the president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva guided him to rebuild bridges with developed countries like the United States and China, and that the relationship with these countries should be “balanced and sovereign”. 
Vieira also confirmed that Lula will make official visits to the US and China at the beginning of his term, “briefly, in the first three months”, predicted the chancellor, in the first press conference to the Brazilian press since his name was confirmed by the president-elect, last Friday (9).
“We want to have an intense, productive relationship with these countries, but a balanced, sovereign relationship, and to develop, within the national interest, all possibilities for cooperation and exchange in every sense with these countries,” said Vieira.
He also mentioned the European Union (EU), with whom he promised to resume negotiations on a trade agreement with Mercosur. “I believe that there is a better horizon, in view of the policy for the environment already announced by President Lula, which can unlock a series of difficulties”, evaluated Vieira.
He and Lula had their first working meeting yesterday (13) since the ambassador, who was in Croatia, was nominated as the new chancellor. According to Vieira, the president-elect highlighted ties with neighbors in South and Latin America as a priority, as well as cooperation with countries in Africa.
Vieira said that Lula’s orientation was to adopt “a policy of rebuilding bridges, firstly with our South American neighbors, re-establishing all contact and negotiation mechanisms, and then, in our close environment, Latin America in general”.
“He [Lula] also instructed me to resume all cooperation programs with Africa, [para] back to having intense relations with solidarity and coordination”, added the chancellor.
Vieira also announced the diplomat Maria Laura Rocha as secretary general of the Itamaraty, number two in the portfolio, and minister Ricardo Monteiro as chief of staff.
The future chancellor also reinforced that, as already advanced by Lula, Brazil will apply to host the next United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP-30), to be held in 2025.
