Regional Pulse: 16 April 2024
Southern Pulse’s weekly review of need-to-know events curated for people who work in Latin America.
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Editor's Picks:
Brazil
Petrobras CEO asks environment minister to approve Amazon drilling
On 9 April 2024, the newspaper Folha de S?o Paulo reported that Jean Paul Prates, CEO of the state oil company Petrobras, requested that Environment Minister Marina Silva permit exploration activities at the mouth of the Amazon River. Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama denied the permit in May 2023 pending further environmental assessments. Folha reported that Prates made this request for oil exploration activities 500 kilometers from the coast in late March. Silva is a staunch environmentalist who has historically opposed activity from the oil and gas industry in the Amazon forest. But Energy and Mines Minister Alexandre Silveira supports Petrobras’ request, arguing the exploratory drilling is necessary for Brazil’s energy self-sufficiency. According to Folha, Petrobras’ 9 April announcement that it had detected a build-up of oil in the nearby Potiguar basin could also strengthen Prates’ argument to quicken the approval process.
Chile
Boric recalls ambassador over Venezuela’s stance on organized crime
On 11 April 2024, President Gabriel Boric recalled his ambassador to Venezuela, Jaime Gazmuri, over Venezuela’s reluctance to help southern neighbors combat organized crime. Chile is a popular destination for Venezuelan immigrants, but the influx of people who have fled Nicolás Maduro’s regime since 2015 has been accompanied by a spike in violent crimes. The Venezuelan drug and human trafficking organization, Tren de Aragua, has taken advantage of the situation to install itself in Chile. In Boric’s view, Venezuelan authorities are making more of an effort to support US efforts to tackle illegal immigration than helping South American countries facing the criminal group. Chilean police estimate there are more than 350 active Tren de Aragua members in Chile, most of them Venezuelan citizens.
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Ecuador
OAS condemns police invasion of Mexican embassy in Quito
On 10 April 2024, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) held an extraordinary meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss Ecuadorian police breaking into the Mexican embassy in Quito on 5 April 2024. The OAS member states decided in a 29-1 vote to condemn Ecuador, as it was a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic asylum. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, who in the past had spats with left-wing leaders from Latin America, also condemned the invasion of the embassy. However, no practical sanction is to be adopted by the OAS. Ecuador was the only country to defend its position. Deputy Foreign Minister Alejandro Dávalos presented Ecuador’s view that Mexico gave illegal asylum to former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been convicted of corruption.
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