KABUL (Pajhwok): The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, escalating diplomatic tensions after Brazil declined to approve the US ambassador-designate and refused visas to two American diplomats.
Reuters, quoting a US State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti’s visa would be reinstated if the dispute was resolved.
Brazil has for weeks withheld formal approval of Daniel Perez, a Florida state representative and close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom President Donald Trump nominated as ambassador on June 1.
The Brazilian government said the nomination was being considered in line with established diplomatic procedures, adding that Washington should have sought Brasília’s agreement before publicly announcing the nominee.
Tensions between the two countries intensified last month after Brazil refused to issue visas to two officials from the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Brazilian authorities said the officials intended to interfere in the country’s political and electoral processes.
The US official stressed that revoking the Brazilian ambassador’s visa did not amount to expelling her from the United States, but was a reciprocal measure in response to restrictions imposed by Brazil on American diplomats.
According to the report, relations between Washington and Brasília have deteriorated in recent months over issues including Brazil’s presidential election and trade disputes. Last month, the United States imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain imports from Brazil, a move the Brazilian government described as politically motivated.
kk
