Washington, DC - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan visited Brasilia on May 22, accompanied by 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 Galvao, hosted the Deputy Secretary and his delegation in a working lunch and a meeting where they discussed several aspects of the U.S.-Brazil partnership.
During the meeting, Ambassador Marcos Galvao and Deputy Secretary John Sullivan launched the U.S.-Brazil Permanent Forum on Security. This initiative is a result of 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.
Deputy Secretary Sullivan led the U.S. government delegation that included U.S. Ambassador to Brazil P. Michael McKinley, Acting Assistant Secretary Palmieri, representatives from the U.S. embassy, and attachés from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense.
Ambassador Marcos Galvao, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs, led the Brazilian government delegation that included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Institutional Security Cabinet, and the Extraordinary Ministry of Public Security.
The Forum will be coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State and aims to foster interagency teamwork and design operating strategies based on 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 take place later this year, in Washington, DC.
During the visit, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary discussed other priority objectives in the bilateral relationship in accordance with the "U.S.-Brazil 10-point Agenda", such as commerce and investment, space cooperation, and defense. The Secretary General and Deputy Secretary were pleased to highlight the recent exchange of diplomatic notes completing the process for the U.S.-Brazil Open Skies Aviation Agreement. They likewise welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a Technology Safeguards Agreement. The occasion also served the purpose of exchanging ideas on the most relevant regional issues, including the region’s response to the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, following the May 20, elections that lacked legitimacy, transparency, and credibility, as well as global matters, especially support of the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The meetings showed the broad, dynamic, and productive nature of the U.S.-Brazil partnership, highlighting the commitment to keep working on initiatives that correspond to the economic prosperity and security of both societies.