Brazil’s vice president calls Argentina “an eternal beggar”

A new front of conflict with the government of Jair Bolsonaro was opened this Thursday when the vice president of Brazil, by defending a fiscal adjustment policy, qualified the Argentina of “Eternal beggar.” “If the country goes bankrupt, we will be the same as our neighbor to the south,” he warned. Hamilton Mourão.

Political and ideological differences had been visible since Alberto Fernandez assumed as head of state. “We are preparing for the worst”Bolsonaro said at the time. The Brazilian president had publicly supported Mauricio macri during the 2019 presidential campaign. Already with the Frente de Todos in power, he questioned the management of the pandemic and its economic measures, claiming that Argentina “is terribly wrong” to “vote for the communist parties” .

When the National Congress approved the legalization of abortion, it deepened its criticisms and assured that for this reason our country “has what it deserves”. In addition, the shelter of Fernández for Evo Morales, but above all the approval of Lula Da Silva and the PT, have further strained bilateral relations between Argentina and Brazil. Then the positions came closer and Bolsonaro came to support Argentina in its negotiations with him. International Monetary Fund (IMF).

However, on this occasion, the fuse was lit by Bolsonaro vice-president Hamilton Mourão, who attended the inauguration of Alberto Fernández in 2019 on behalf of Brazil. He participated this Thursday in a virtual event with investors and businessmen, in which he defended the respect of the principles of fiscal responsibility to avoid the “bankruptcy” of the country.

“We cannot escape the rules of fiscal responsibility, otherwise the country goes bankrupt and, if the country goes bankrupt, we will be like our neighbor to the south, like Argentina, an eternal beggar”said the retired 67-year-old general.

The event was organized by XP, one of the leading financial companies in this country. In front of the business audience who attended virtually, he warned that Brazil’s public debt had tripled over the past 12 years, reaching around 90% of GDP. He also added that it was the seventh consecutive year of budget deficit.

The ambassador Daniel Scioli and the chancellery advanced to approach the positions after the difficult crossings. In a virtual meeting that took place at the end of last November, the thaw of the bond between the governments began, in addition to the official visit to the Casa Rosada and to the residence of Olivos in January of this year of the admiral. Flavio Viana Rocha, secretary for strategic affairs and right-hand man of the Brazilian president. This move was seen as a gesture of relaxation and rapprochement, and there was even a gift of a football shirt from Palmeiras, the club the Brazilian president is a fan of.

In early March, Bolsonaro supported Argentina’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, in what was one of the gestures of greater cooperation with Alberto Fernández. In a video broadcast by Scioli, the President of Brazil is heard announcing: “On March 26, I will be in Buenos Aires, in our beloved Argentina. We are going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of Mercosur. COVID-19 has caused economic hardship around the world. Our wish is that Argentina will succeed in its negotiations with the IMF ”.

“Argentina’s financial situation is quite complicated. The economic success of the countries of South America and Argentina is of interest to all of South America, including Brazil. This will be the first time that we will speak with the Argentine President. Logically, we will have a reserved conversation and we will publicly discuss the economic problems of our countries ”, underlined the Brazilian.

The serious epidemiological situation in the region thwarted the arrival of Bolsonaro in our country on March 26. The summit between the members of Mercosur, within the framework of the 30 years of the creation of the regional bloc, should have been held virtually, which was to be the first meeting between Fernández and his Brazilian counterpart was therefore postponed to another occasion. .

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