MAYARA PAIXÃO
Argentina and Brazil did not communicate about the siege by Venezuelan agents of the Argentine embassy in Caracas, which has been under the care of Brazil since four months ago the representation’s diplomatic team was expelled from the country. Six political asylum seekers live there.
As it did last September, Nicolás Maduro’s regime once again surrounded the diplomatic headquarters late this Saturday afternoon (23). The six asylum seekers, high-ranking members of opposition leader María Corina Machado’s coalition, denounce that the electricity supply was cut off.
The siege carried out more than two months ago was decisive for candidate Edmundo González’s decision to go into exile in Spain, as subsequent reports demonstrated. The new action comes just days after the regime announced a new investigation against María Corina, for the alleged crimes of treason and conspiracy.
Interlocutors involved in the matter confirm that there was no attempt to contact Argentina. The low level of dialogue, even though Brazil is representing Argentine interests in Caracas, draws attention and reflects the “timing” of the bilateral relationship.
They also report that the embassy was not left without electricity, as there is a generator, and that the street distribution service has already been resumed.
The Argentine foreign ministry has undergone a series of changes in the last month. The now former chancellor Diana Mondino, who was the focal point of the relationship with Brazil and who put an end to the bad relationship between Javier Milei and Lula on more than one occasion, was forced to leave her position.
In his place was the former ambassador of the Milei administration in the USA, Gerardo Werthein. He has already signaled that he wants to maintain ties with Brasília – trade exchanges, still below what Brazil wants, continue to occur normally despite the presidential discomfort.
On the margins of the lack of communication, Argentine diplomacy published a note on the topic. In it, he criticizes the “hostile and intimidating acts against people sheltered at the embassy” and then thanks the Brazilian government for representing Argentine interests in the country.
The Brazilian government has not commented on the issue and should not do so. Negotiations take place behind the scenes. There is a Brazilian employee as the focal point for contact with asylum seekers at the embassy, even to provide items such as food.
But the relationship is different from that maintained by Argentine diplomacy.
Brazil disagrees with the asylum seekers’ stance of continuing to work actively in the political campaign of María Corina and Edmundo González, in disregard of the provisions of the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.
But Brasília has more than once offered to send a plane to rescue the asylum seekers, who the Maduro regime, also in violation of the convention, has prevented from leaving the country.
After the announcement of the new investigation against her, María Corina Machado called for events in Venezuela and abroad for December 1st. The volume of protests in Caracas decreased compared to what was observed in the days following the contested announcement of Maduro’s re-election on July 28 and his proclamation the following day. The factor that weighs is large-scale repression.
The Brasília-Caracas relationship soured. The regime began to verbally attack figures such as presidential advisor Celso Amorim, who was in Caracas during the elections, and the institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Initially, Brazil requested the publication of the electoral records that would prove the result of the election.
Numerous independent vote checking projects based on sampling showed that the chosen candidate was Edmundo González.
González is in exile in Madrid, traveling around Europe looking to drum up support. With María Corina, he says he will return to Caracas on January 10 to take office, even though this scenario is unimaginable today.
