Brazil was not warned and mystery continues

On Wednesday, Argentina’s television stations, such as TN, interrupted the program to inform about the departure of the four Venezuelans who were locked at the Argentine embassy in Caracas since March 2024. They had sought refuge at the diplomatic headquarters, arguing persecution for being linked to the opponent of Nicolás Maduro, Maria Corina Machado. It was then, on Wednesday night, that the Brazilian government became aware of the fact and later announced a statement from Itamaraty noting that the departure of Venezuelans from diplomatic headquarters “puts an end in the drama experienced by the asylums for over 400 days.”

But couldn’t Brazil have been warned before, at least please about the departure of Venezuelans? “They could? Who? If it is not known who it was (who withdrew from the embassy),” a source from Brasilia replied. For the Brazilian government, it was a relief this complicated issue to have been resolved, even without prior notice. “Our biggest concern was about humanitarian drama,” he said. Diplomatic headquarters spent long periods without light and without water, for example. The relationship between the governments of Brazil and Venezuela has been defined as “cold” since the new election of Maduro, when the Brazilian government demanded that the minutes of the result be shown – which did not occur.

Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from Brazil, and Javier Milei, from Argentina, are not spoken, but the diplomacy of both countries, with the new friendship between the foreign ministers, Mauro Vieira, and Gerardo Werthein, flows, as proven in the recent meetings they had in Buenos Aires during Mercosur meetings in the Argentine capital. Argentina is presiding over the bloc- the presidency is semiannual and rotating- and President Lula has already confirmed a presence at the Mercosur summit meeting on July three.

But the question that persists, 48 ​​hours after the announcement of the departure of the Venezuelans, close to the opponent of Maduro, María Corina, is how they left (the place was surrounded by security guards of the Maduro government) and who withdrew them and took them to the United States. Did the asylums receive saved from Venezuela? Was there a dialogue between Maduro and Trump? Between Milei, Maduro and Trump? Milei and Maduro are distant and have already exchanged public barbs/insults. In a statement, the presidency of Argentina expressed “recognition of the operation that successfully allowed five (4 because one had already left) refugees at the headquarters of the Argentine Embassy in Venezuela were taken from Caracas and taken to US territory.” In the statement, Milei especially thanks the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In the text, it is stated that the Argentine government “profoundly values ​​the efforts made to ensure the safety and well-being of those who have been a long time under Argentine protection in the face of the persecution of the Nicolás mature regime.” But at no time does it refer to Brazil.