Blinken visits Milei, Lula

The Washington Watch is our weekly update on key developments in bilateral relations between the United States of America and Latin American countries. Please find today’s article below.

Argentina/Brazil: On 23 February US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Argentina where he held meetings with President Javier Milei and key government officials. A US State Department factsheet released prior to the meeting detailed key areas of bilateral cooperation. These include trade - the US remains the largest foreign investor in Argentina -, critical minerals, human rights, and security. On social media Blinken described his first meeting with Milei as “very productive” and stated that this reflected “the strong desire of our nations to deepen our partnership and strengthen our ties even more”. During a press conference with Argentina’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, Blinken thanked Milei for his “strong condemnation” of the 7 October attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and his “support for Israel’s right to ensure that such an attack never happens again”. Blinken’s visit to the country comes days after US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) held meetings with President Milei and other figures from his government in Buenos Aires. Before his trip to Buenos Aires, Blinken visited Brazil where he met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Their meeting broached a range of topics including the climate crisis and regional security concerns, such as Brazil’s role in the de-escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the disputed Essequibo region. As in Argentina, Blinken discussed the US’ position concerning the conflict in Gaza. In the days running up to Blinken’s visit, Brazil-Israel tensions had risen over comments made by President Lula in which he compared Israel’s military actions in Gaza to the Holocaust. Blinken’s visit to Brazil coincided with the 2024 G20 foreign ministers’ meeting which was held in Rio de Janeiro on 21 and 22 February. While in Brazil, Blinken also attended a meeting addressing the ongoing crisis in Haiti. The US pledged US$200m towards a United Nations (UN) multinational security support mission, due to be headed up by Kenyan police officials.

Ecuador: On 21 February the governments of the US and Ecuador signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising their collaboration and promotion of a modern, clean, equitable, and more sustainable transportation system in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. According to a statement from the US embassy in Ecuador, this transportation system will “support economic activity and ensure access for people with disabilities”. In collaboration with Quito’s metropolitan passenger transport company, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will lend technical support to Quito as it converts its fleet of vehicles from diesel to electric. The redesign of bus access zones, communication equipment, and vehicle accessibility will all be implemented to achieve accessibility for those with disabilities. Daniel Sanchez-Bustamante, director of USAID in Ecuador, referenced plans to begin running electric buses this year. USAID will assist Quito in implementing a sustainable infrastructure strategy, thus enabling transport authorities to comply with the national energy efficiency law - which prohibits the use of fossil fuel-based buses starting in 2030 -?and the universal access plan – which requires municipal public transportation to be accessible to people with disabilities. These efforts build upon USAID’s July 2022 launch of the Sustainable Energy for Ecuador programme, a two-year project by US consulting and engineering services firm Tetra Tech, which invested US$2.3m to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Ecuador’s electricity sector. The MoU requires the programme to develop technical studies which will support the decisions of Quito’s transport authorities on short-term planned investments – including electric mobility infrastructure and the specifications for optimal electric fleet operation in Quito.

Mexico: On 26 February US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar denied the existence of an US investigation into Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. “As the White House said very clearly, there is no investigation related to President López Obrador”, Salazar said during a press conference. This came after the New York Times (NYT) published an article on 22 February about a shelved US investigation into allegations that López Obrador’s allies had received money from drug trafficking organisations (DTOs) during his presidency. Salazar’s remarks echoed those made by US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on 22 February, who confirmed that the Department of Justice (DoJ) had no investigations open into López Obrador. The US has also spoken out on López Obrador’s response to the article. On 26 February US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reaffirmed the US’ commitment to supporting “the independent free press” in relation to a question about López Obrador’s decision to publicly reveal the phone number of the NYT?journalist leading the report. The journalist in question, Natalie Kitroeff – NYT bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean – had contacted López Obrador’s team for comments on the article. In a press briefing, Miller said that he did not have any “diplomatic conversations” to read out in relation to the issue, but stated that “we wouldn’t want to see any action taken that would jeopardise any individual or any reporter’s safety”. Miller also referred back to comments made by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a 23 February press briefing. When asked for a response to the incident, Jean-Pierre said that while she was not informed about the issue, “it is important for the press to be able to report on issues that matter to the American people freely”.

Nicaragua/Region:?On 21 February US Department of State spokesperson?Matthew Miller?announced visa restrictions targeting owners, executives, and senior officials of charter flight, ground, and maritime transportation companies providing services designed for use primarily by those looking to migrate irregularly to the US.?Miller stated that the new policy?“supersedes”?the Nicaragua 3C policy on charter flights issued on 21 November by expanding visa restrictions to include land and sea operators. The November policy focused on tackling companies offering charter flights specifically into Nicaragua, designed primarily for irregular migrants, mostly from Haiti and Cuba, in order to put them on the overland path north to the US border.?“We?are expanding US visa restrictions on owners, executives, and senior officials of private transport companies that prey on vulnerable immigrants by knowingly facilitating irregular migration,”?National Security Council spokesperson,?Adrienne Watson,?wrote on social media. In a press release, Miller said migrants using such services “often pay extortion-level prices and put themselves and accompanying family members at risk, only to be placed into removal proceedings pursuant to US immigration laws”.?Upon issuing the initial policy in November, the State Department urged Haitians, Cubans, and migrants of other nationalities to seek out?“the many safe and lawful pathways available to migrate to the US”?while?highlighting the current administration?“has led the largest expansion of lawful pathways in decades”.

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Articles in this issue:

• ARGENTINA: Milei makes overture to governors while rebuking congress
• ECUADOR: Noboa reaches 100-day mark with surging popularity ratings
• In brief: Energy firm Gunvor fined in Switzerland over Ecuador bribes
• BRAZIL: Former army chief testifies on alleged coup plot
• In brief: Brazil’s GDP growth shows little annual variation
• HAITI: State of emergency declared after thousands escape from prison
• In brief: Dominican Republic maintains interest rates
• MEXICO: Another candidate killed amid electoral violence concerns
• In brief: Remittances up in yearly terms in Mexico
• In brief: Chile registers rise in economic activity
• Blinken visits Milei, Lula