Argentine Foreign Minister Felipe Solá gave a federal interview to journalists of the 49 branches of Radio Nacional and RAE-Argentina al Mundo. For RAE, Portuguese-language host Julieta Galván participated.
She asked a key question about the relationship that Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, established with the current government of Argentina, amidst the tensions over a potential Mercosur-EU agreement.
Solá answered that it is "undeniable" that there is a problem with Brazil, which he said was initiated by Mr. Bolsonaro some time ago with "an attitude that has never been seen before". Foreign Minister Solá stressed that the Brazilian president's position "affects" the trade between the two countries, but added that he was even "more concerned with his lack of willingness to further integrate his country in the region".
The Foreign Minister emphasized the "problem of relations with Brazil initiated by Jair Bolsonaro some time ago with an attitude that we have never seen in any other country, and even less so between sister nations". He stressed that this relationship "has an impact on trade, but trade, however, is more affected by the exchange rate and the Brazilian economy's level of demand which had dropped long before the pandemic started".
Along these lines, Solá said that the Argentine government is "more concerned about his lack of willingness to integrate because this is a political decision that would give MERCOSUR greater volume".
Interview by Julieta Galván
Translation and VO: Fernando Farías
Web: Julián Cortez
