By Bianca Oliveira
SAO PAULO – The criticisms towards the Minister of Foreign Affairs have intensified since the beginning of the year and culminated in his resignation on Monday afternoon (29). Ernesto Araújo was accused by several sectors of damaging relations with China, Brazil’s biggest trading partner and exporter of the raw material used in the production of the immunizers against the coronavirus currently applied in Brazil.
In an interview with Dire news agency, Pedro Brites, professor of International Relations at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (Fgv), explained that Brazil’s isolation on the international stage reflected in the fight against the pandemic internally.
“There is a deterioration of the Brazilian image abroad. An idea of isolation from Brazil that is taking shape and, therefore, the country was lagging behind in the distribution of vaccines, in the purchase with international partners. This generated wear and tear with federal, state and municipal entities, in addition to economic sectors such as agribusiness ”.
At a meeting in the National Congress last week, the chancellor was accused of carrying out the same negativism of Bolsonaro in relation to the pandemic in foreign policy. Brites explains that when he took over, Ernesto Araújo pledged to “break with Brazil’s history in terms of international relations” and adopted a conservative rhetoric.
“The government is articulating itself internationally through a conservative discourse but in the sense of mobilizing its internal base, the part most faithful to the government. Often Ernesto Araújo himself said that the path of isolation was a path that the government followed with a clear conscience. In other words, if it is to defend the values that support the Bolsonaro government, it would not be a problem to move towards isolation ”. In the opinion of the Fgv professor, the next indication should not cause a major change in the direction of foreign policy, but “this does not prevent a change in tone, less aggressive towards international partners”.
The name announced by President Jair Bolsonaro last Monday (29th) to replace Ernesto Araújo at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was that of Ambassador Carlos Alberto Franco França.