MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Brazil confirms its ambassador will return to Buenos Aires but sets no date]]> The crisis erupted when Argentine President Javier Milei spoke at the Liberal Party's national convention in São Paulo, where he backed Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy The Brazilian government confirmed that its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Glinternick Bitelli, will return to Buenos Aires after being recalled for consultations, without specifying when, in the first sign of de-escalation in the most serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries in decades.

]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:26:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula says Paraguay chose to invade Brazil; Paraguayan Congress accuses him of distorting history]]> Lula said Brazil likes peace but cannot forget that Paraguay one day decided to invade Brazil, adding that it later did the same to Argentina and Uruguay Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invoked the War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) to defend increased defense spending, in remarks that drew formal rejection this week from both chambers of Paraguay's Congress.

]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2026 01:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[“Who is that guy?”: Lula's response to Milei's remarks in São Paulo]]> The remarks led to the sharpest diplomatic response between the two countries in years Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed for the first time the remarks made against him by Argentine President Javier Milei, with a brief and ironic response that avoided escalating the controversy. Asked by reporters while preparing to receive South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, he replied: “Who is that guy?”

]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[Mercosur's two largest partners in their worst diplomatic crisis as Brazil recalls its envoy]]> Milei defended his government's alignment with the United States and Israel and again criticized Brazil's judiciary for barring him from visiting Jair Bolsonaro Brazil on Sunday recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, for consultations and summoned Argentina's ambassador in Brasília, Daniel Raimondi, to provide explanations at the Foreign Ministry, in the sharpest diplomatic response between the two countries in years. The measures, taken by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, follow the speech Argentine President Javier Milei delivered on Saturday in São Paulo at the convention that formalized Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy.

]]> Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:14:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula aide insults Milei over plan to campaign for Bolsonaro's son in Brazil]]> “What does this imbecile think he has to teach the Brazilian people?” wrote Guilherme Boulos, chief minister of the Secretariat General of the Presidency and a figure close to Lula A senior Brazilian government official called Argentine President Javier Milei an "imbecile" after he announced he will travel to Brazil on July 25 to take part in the launch of the presidential candidacy of Flávio Bolsonaro, the main opposition figure to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina sends fresh rescue brigades to Venezuela as most foreign teams begin to withdraw]]> The Argentine contingent's departure comes as most foreign teams begin to leave Venezuela A new contingent of Argentine rescue workers left for Venezuela on Sunday to relieve the search-and-rescue teams deployed after the June 24 twin earthquake, which according to the official toll has left 2,954 dead and more than 16,500 injured. The dispatch coincides with the start of the withdrawal of most international missions, at the point when operations are shifting away from rescuing survivors toward the recovery phase.

]]> Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:51:00 GMT <![CDATA[Mercosur backs Argentina days after Islanders' UN appeal for self-determination]]> Mercosur's 68th Presidential Summit in Asunción issued a Special Declaration reiterating their support for Argentina's “legitimate rights” in the sovereignty dispute over the Falklands Within the span of a week, the two opposing positions in the Falklands dispute were laid out clearly in two separate arenas: South American governments' backing for Argentina's sovereignty claim, and the defense of self-determination that two representatives of the Islanders took to the United Nations. Neither pronouncement was a reply to the other, but together they illustrate the distance between two hard-to-reconcile logics.

]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2026 09:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Mercosur leaders push for a regional security architecture against organized crime]]> The security debate unfolded alongside the trade tensions that dominated the summit The fight against transnational organized crime emerged as one of the central themes of Mercosur's 68th summit of heads of state, held on Tuesday in the Paraguayan city of Luque, where several leaders called for building a regional security "architecture" with concrete goals and deadlines. The issue ran through the addresses of the bloc's presidents and those of its associated states, at a summit where Paraguay handed over the pro tempore presidency to Uruguay.

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[Uruguay takes over the Mercosur presidency vowing to modernize and open the bloc]]> Orsi described the closing semester as “historic” for the signing of the pact with the EU, which he called a “turning point” for economic integration and investment Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi on Tuesday assumed the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur and set as a priority of his term to "keep modernizing" the bloc and consolidate its trade opening, following the provisional entry into force of the agreement with the European Union. "We want a more modern, more dynamic Mercosur, more open to the world, but above all a Mercosur that produces concrete results for its citizens," he said as he received the rotating presidency from host Santiago Peña of Paraguay, at the 68th summit of heads of state held in Luque.

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:26:00 GMT <![CDATA[Mercosur turns to Asia with Japan talks as the EU quota split stays unresolved]]> Mercosur on Tuesday announced the start of trade negotiations with Japan and reaffirmed its intention to diversify alliances toward Asia during its biannual summit in Asunción, where Paraguay handed over the bloc's pro tempore presidency to Uruguay. The meeting, however, closed without an agreement on the internal distribution of export quotas under the treaty with the European Union, and again exposed the differences between Argentina and Brazil over the bloc's direction.

]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2026 22:22:00 GMT