On May 22, 2018, the United States and Brazilian governments issued a joint statement following the start of the U.S.-Brazil Permanent Forum on Security.
The initiative arose during a meeting in Brasilia at which U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan was accompanied by the Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh and Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco Palmieri.
The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General Marcos Garvão hosted the U.S. delegation in a working lunch and a meeting where they discussed several aspects of the U.S.-Brazil partnership.
The start of the Permanent Forum on Security arises from “consistent cooperation between the United States and Brazil on fighting transnational crime, and based upon the strengthening of collaboration of law enforcement and security agencies in both countries.”[1]
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. State Department will coordinate the Forum, which aims to facilitate interagency teamwork and design operating strategies in six pre-defined areas: drug trafficking, arms trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and financial crimes, terrorism, and institutional cooperation.
The first working meeting of the Forum will occur later this year in Washington, D.C.
During the visit, the two sides also issues related to criminal cooperation, such as space cooperation and defense. They discussed the recent exchange of diplomatic notes completing the process for the U.S.-Brazil Open Skies Aviation Agreement and welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a Technology Safeguards Agreement. They exchanged ideas on regional issues, including the region’s response to the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.
According to the remarks of Deputy Secretary Sullivan, the U.S.-Brazilian security cooperation has included the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
A future IELR article will include a more comprehensive discussion of the Forum, its scope and some of the implications.
[1] State Department, Western Hemisphere: U.S.-Brazil Bilateral Cooperation, May 22, 2018
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