Brazilian President Bolsonaro flies to US

On his first bilateral visit overseas, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is flying next Sunday (Mar. 17) to Washington joined by a six-minister entourage. He is expected to return to Brazil on March 20. The meeting with US President Donald Trump at the While House is scheduled for March 19.

“The visit is the first bilateral one paid by our president overseas, which shows the priority the government assigns to the construction of a solid partnership with the US,” said Otávio do Rêgo Barros, the president’s spokesman.

Rêgo Barros said Brazil’s engagements overseas will focus on strengthening ties with countries that may contribute to the development, prosperity, welfare, and security of Brazilian citizens.

“The trip to the US aims to promote an agenda of positive results in several fields, resuming topics that had been on the agenda before and opening up new opportunities,” the spokesman told the press.

The official trip starts the president’s busy schedule, in which visits to Israel and Chile are also slated for March.

Meeting

At the White House, Bolsonaro will be received by Trump, who will introduce him to his team. Next, they are expected to proceed to the Roosevelt Room, where the Brazilian president will sign the guestbook. Then, the presidents gather at the Oval Office, where talks can be held in private.

Afterwards, an expanded gathering will take place between the two teams, followed by a work lunch, after which Bolsonaro and Trump will make a joint statement to the press at the Rose Garden, marking the end of the bilateral assembly.

Ministers

Bolsonaro is being accompanied by six ministers: Ernesto Araújo (Foreign Relations), Paulo Guedes (Economy), Sergio Moro (Justice and Public Security), Augusto Heleno (head of the office for Institutional Security), Tereza Cristina (Agriculture), and Ricardo Salles (Environment). The entourage is also likely to be joined by congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, of Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal Party (PSL).

The president will stay at the Blair House, part of the White House complex. The place has welcomed such figures as former Presidents Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

A significant part of Bolsonaro’s schedule in the US, including hearings and meetings, will take place at the Blair House, his spokesman reported.

Deals

The governments of Brazil and the US, Rêgo Barros said, will be able to sign agreements over the course of this day. He did not specify the nature of such pacts, however. At the Chamber of Trade, part of the Brazilian entourage will take part in panels under the theme “Bolsonaro and Trump: a New Beginning in Brazil–US relations,” and “The Future of the Brazilian Economy.”

On Tuesday (19), engagement start with a meeting with Organization of the American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luís Almagro. Among the topics expected to be discussed is the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

In the afternoon, Bolsonaro and his staff will head for the White House to meet with Trump. After the assembly, the Brazilian president will proceed to the Arlington National Cemetery, where over 400 thousand military agents died in wars for the nation. There, the president should participate in a ceremony where flowers will be laid down on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Bolsonaro’s appointments continue with a meeting with religious leaders at the Blair House, followed by a work dinner. After that, on March 19, the Brazilian entourage flies back to Brazil. Their arrival is scheduled for the following morning.

Schedule

Bolsonaro takes off next Sunday (17) at 8 am from the Brasília Air Base. The fight to Washington should last approximately nine hours. In the US capital, his first engagement will be a dinner at the Blair House, with authorities and opinion makers, including Brazilian philosopher Olavo de Carvalho.

On Monday (18), Bolsonaro and his team have appointments at the US Chamber of Commerce. Brazilian ministers will participate in debates about sector-oriented investments. A portion of the Brazilian entourage will attend the panel Growing Economic Relations: A Focus on Investment Opportunities. In the same place, the Brazilian president should have a hearing with Henry “Hank” Paulson, former US Secretary of the Treasury.