Kateryna Vakarchuk
The Political and Economic Situation in January 2019
The beginning of 2019 has been quite tense for the Latin American region. If nothing else, it has brought changes that would be relevant to some presidents and governments. In particular, those changes will not miss Venezuela. The aggravation of the long-standing intra-political crisis, which has gone beyond the borders of this country, draws attention of powerful global players, in particular the United States, Russia, and China (see more details in our article “Aggravation of the Crisis in Venezuela. The Internal Dynamics and External Influences”). The year 2019 will not be ordinary for Latin American countries, among other things, because Mexico and Brazil will try to radically change their foreign policies. It is especially interesting how the relations between Ukraine and Brazil will develop, and if it will come to a Brazilian delegation's visit to Ukraine. As for Spain, its regular highest-level visits to former Spanish colonies demonstrate readiness to develop cooperation with the countries of Latin America.
P. Poroshenko's Meeting with J. Bolsonaro in Davos, Switzerland
From January 1, in the post of the President of Brazil is an odious politician, known for his ultra-radical views, — Jair Bolsonaro. What should Ukraine expect from his presidency, will Ukraine-Brazil relations revive after almost five years of stagnation? In fact, in 2014, Brazil agreed with the annexation of the Crimea, not publicly, but it did support Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Even in December 2018, Brazil did not vote for the resolution “The problem of militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine), as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov”.
| President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Davos |
January 24, 2019, in Davos, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko met with Jair Bolsonaro. They discussed future trade and economic, scientific and military-technical cooperation, which was suspended due to the above-mentioned facts. They discussed, in particular, the possibility of restarting industrial and infrastructure projects. The parties agreed to hold a regular meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation in the near future. And the main thing is that the President of Brazil supported the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He pointed out the contribution of the Ukrainian community of Brazil to the development of friendly relations and strategic partnership between Ukraine and Brazil. P. Poroshenko invited the President of Brazil to visit Ukraine.
So, we can soon see the resumption of Ukrainian-Brazilian relations, revival of Ukraine's relations with other countries in the region and restoration of its positions in Latin America. For our country this can mean support in international organizations and the UN, where Brazil plays a prominent role.
The full article is available in Ukrainian
