The president of Argentina, Javier Mileyis expected to attend the G20 summit meeting, scheduled for November 18th and 19th, in Rio de Janeiro. Last Monday 14th, the Argentine sent a letter to the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) confirming presence.
There is still no confirmation on a possible bilateral meeting between Lula and Milei, but the presence of the self-proclaimed ‘libertarian’ could be a positive sign, in terms of diplomatic relations, for Brazil. It is worth highlighting the fact that Brazil is the main destination for Argentine exports.
Milei is a staunch critic of the Lula government, which he considers “corrupt”. Last July, for example, Milei missed a Mercosur summit meeting, displeasing Lula and other presidents of the bloc.
Recently, however, the Argentine government counted on the support of Brazilian diplomacy after its diplomatic corps was expelled from Caracas, in Venezuelaby order of President Nicolás Maduro.
Keeping an eye on China
The G20 meeting could also be an opportunity for Milei to get closer to Chinasomething that seemed unlikely not so long ago.
An ardent defender of relations with the United States, Milei had already shown that his government would distance the South American country from the Chinese, but recently called the Western country a “very interesting commercial partner”.
“I was very pleasantly surprised by China. It’s a very interesting business partner, because it doesn’t require anything. The only thing they ask is that you don’t bother them”, said Milei, in an interview.
Mercosur-EU Agreement
Another important aspect of Milei’s visit to Brazil is the possibility of progress in the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, negotiations for which have been going on for years.
Recently, the Argentine ambassador in Brasília, Guillermo Daniel Raimondi, acknowledged that “there is a bilateral challenge between Argentina and Brazil”, but, on the other hand, “a multilateral one between the two countries to defend binding trade issues, with economic, environmental and social”. For him, “negotiations between the two blocs are very advanced”.
