Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, has just returned from a two-day working visit to Brazil in South America; at the invitation of Foreign Minister of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, Minister Asselborn traveled to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on Monday and Tuesday this week.
On Monday 21 March, Minister Asselborn met the honorary consuls in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to take stock of developments in their respective constituencies and have an exchange of views on Luxembourg interests in the country.
Discussions also helped to review the preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held respectively from 5 to 21 August and from 7 to 18 September 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. In the absence of a resident Luxembourg embassy, the Honorary Consul of Luxembourg in Rio de Janeiro, Marie-Catherine Meyers, supported by a project manager recruited for the Olympic Games, Terry Niesen, will be at the disposal of all Luxembourg nationals for demand for assistance (a telephone number will be made public in due course). To foster a spirit of conviviality between Luxembourg nationals going there for the occasion, a meeting will be offered to visitors.
On Tuesday 22 March, Minister Asselborn was received by his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, for a bilateral meeting at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. The meeting allowed them to overview bilateral relations that the two countries have maintained for a long time; the discussions were reported as excellent and they both agreed to strengthen ties further.
The meeting also enabled both parties to explore ways to develop economic relations between the Grand Duchy and Brazil. Although Brazil, with a population of nearly 200 million people, is already the first Luxembourg trading partner in Latin America, this country continues to offer enormous investment potential for Luxembourg companies.
The two sides have agreed on the need to quickly sign an agreement to avoid double taxation, integrating new OECD standards before addressing issues related to routes between Brazil and Luxembourg, described as a significant vector in relations between the two countries. They hoped to quickly conclude the EU-Brazil air agreement while addressing the means to allow the air cargo operator Cargolux Airlines International to optimise flights between Luxembourg and Brazil.
The two foreign ministers also reviewed the regional situation in Latin America and relations between the EU and the Mercosur countries. They finally discussed the latest political developments within the European Union, in particular addressing the migration crisis, before dealing with international issues, including the situation in Syria and Libya.
Following the terrorist attacks that hit Belgium on 22 March, Minister Asselborn and his Brazilian counterpart assured Belgium of solidarity and compassion for the feelings of families of the victims of these heinous acts. "By targeting Belgium, the heart of Europe and our common values have been targeted" lamented Jean Asselborn. "The Syrian conflict in particular, which takes place in the direct neighbourhood of the EU, paves (the path for) the extremists. This war affects us all. We must stop it. The fight against Daesh is a crucial element in the fight against terrorism in Europe," he said, before concluding that "the war in the Middle East goes with terror in Europe."
Photos by MAEE (above, L-R): Mauro Vieira, Foreign Minister of Brazil; Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, in Brasilia; (below, L-R): Terry Niesen, chargé de mission for the Rio2016 Olympic Games; Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs; Jean Olinger, Ambassador of Luxembourg to Brazil; Marie-Christine Meyers, Honorary Consul for Luxembourg in Rio de Janeiro
