Washington, Aug. 5: The United States has temporarily revoked the visa of Brazil’s Ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, in the latest sign of rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
According to Al Jazeera, citing a U.S. State Department official, the decision does not amount to expulsion, and Ambassador Viotti will be allowed to remain in the United States despite the visa cancellation.
The official said the measure was taken in response to Brazil’s continued delay in approving President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Brazil, Danny Perez. Washington has indicated that Viotti’s visa will be reinstated once Brazil grants formal approval to the nominee.
Perez, a Republican ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was nominated in June but has yet to receive both U.S. Senate confirmation and Brazil’s diplomatic approval.
Reports suggest the Trump administration publicly announced Perez’s nomination before formally consulting the Brazilian government, a move Brazilian officials reportedly viewed as a breach of diplomatic protocol. Authorities in Brasília are reviewing the nomination before deciding whether to grant agrément, the formal consent required for an ambassador to assume office.
The latest dispute follows Brazil’s refusal last month to issue visas to officials from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, citing concerns that the delegation could undermine the country’s electoral process ahead of Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October.
The reciprocal diplomatic measures are expected to further strain relations between Washington and Latin America’s largest economy.
