MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Patriota defends Mercosur decisions on Paraguay before the Brazilian congress

The “extraordinary” bilateral relation with Paraguay continues, said the Brazilian minister

Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota strongly defended the decision to suspend Paraguay from Mercosur following the removal of Fernando Lugo from the presidency, as well as the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of the trade group.

“There is no more tolerance for anti-democratic adventures” said Patriota addressing the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he was summoned to talk about Brazilian foreign policy under the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff.

Patriota reiterated that Paraguay’s suspension was agreed by the governments of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay and again argued that Lugo “did not have the right to a proper defence” during the process which led to his removal last June 22.

As to the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur agreed a week later at the same summit in which the block decided the temporary suspension of Paraguay, Patriota underlined the “economic and energy potential” which the trade group acquires with the incorporation of South America’s “fourth economy”.

Venezuela that finally joined as full member of Mercosur last July 31 “is an energy power and her incorporation shows that this block is not only the south of Brazil but also the north, the northeast and the Amazon region”, insisted the Foreign minister.

Patriota also pointed out that the suspension of Paraguay has not affected ‘at all’ trade and economic relations of that country with the other three members from Mercosur. He added that when sanctions were agreed, it was also made sure that “they did not represent any punishment for the Paraguayan population nor would cooperation be interrupted”.

For the specific case of Brazil, Paraguay means “trade, the hydroelectric dam of Itaipú and 250.000 Brazilian living in the country” all of which means that the bilateral relation is “extraordinary”.

“The friendship of Brazil with Paraguay will not suffer, will not be exposed”, said Patriota who described the country as “a neighbour and partner of utmost importance”.

Mercosur, as well as Unasur, suspended Paraguay on 29 June arguing that the country suffered a “democratic breakdown” with the removal of Lugo whose mandate was to conclude 15 August 2013, following presidential elections in April that year.

“The governments of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay wish that the current situation is as short as possible, we favour prosperity, development and democracy with distribution and social justice”, concluded the minister.