LatinNews Daily - 04 March 2024

Argentina/Brazil: On 23 February US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Argentina where he held meetings with President Javier Milei and key government officials. A US State Department factsheet released prior to the meeting detailed key areas of bilateral cooperation. These include trade - the US remains the largest foreign investor in Argentina -, critical minerals, human rights, and security. On social media Blinken described his first meeting with Milei as “very productive” and stated that this reflected “the strong desire of our nations to deepen our partnership and strengthen our ties even more”. During a press conference with Argentina’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, Blinken thanked Milei for his “strong condemnation” of the 7 October attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and his “support for Israel’s right to ensure that such an attack never happens again”. Blinken’s visit to the country comes days after US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) held meetings with President Milei and other figures from his government in Buenos Aires. Before his trip to Buenos Aires, Blinken visited Brazil where he met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Their meeting broached a range of topics including the climate crisis and regional security concerns, such as Brazil’s role in the de-escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the disputed Essequibo region. As in Argentina, Blinken discussed the US’ position concerning the conflict in Gaza. In the days running up to Blinken’s visit, Brazil-Israel tensions had risen over comments made by President Lula in which he compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to the Holocaust. Blinken’s visit to Brazil coincided with the 2024 G20 foreign ministers’ meeting which was held in Rio de Janeiro on 21 and 22 February. While in Brazil, Blinken also attended a meeting addressing the ongoing crisis in Haiti. The US pledged US$200m towards a United Nations (UN) multinational security support mission, due to be headed up by Kenyan police officials.

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