Chancellors from Brazil, Venezuela meet in US

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira is slated to meet with Venezuelan chancellor Jorge Arreaza on Thursday (Sep. 27) at 12:40 Washington time. This is the first high-level assembly between the two countries after the suspension of bilateral relations, severed in December last year.

The meeting takes place in New York, as both ministers attended the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

The talk comes months after the expulsion of Brazilian Ambassador in Caracas Ruy Pereira, and the aggravation of criticism against the Brazilian government concerning the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as an increasing exodus of Venezuelan immigrants in May.

In Brazil, the arrival of 600 to 800 Venezuelans via the northern Brazilian state of Roraima was made a constant topic of debates on national politics and the Brazilian elections. Brazil’s Defense Minister Joaquim Silva e Luna went to Venezuela early this month and met with Venezuelan authorities to discuss the matter.

In addition to Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru are the countries that receive the highest number of immigrants. The Venezuelan chancellor stated today that “the media fabricates a conflict surrounding an alleged migration crisis.”