Jair Bolsonaro paid tribute to the former dictators of Brazil and Paraguay this week at a ceremony to celebrate the Itaipu hydroelectric dam. The Brazilian president, who has spoken previously of his admiration for the military dictatorship that ruled his nation from 1964 to 1985, praised former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner as a man of vision.
The president of the National Assembly (AN) and recognized Venezuela’s interim president for half a hundred countries, Juan Guaidó, arrived this Friday by surprise to the Colombian city of Cúcuta, where the concert “Venezuela Aid Live” was held, organized by the British billionaire Richard Branson. Guaidó said that he crossed the border to the Colombian side thanks to the support of the Armed Forces of his country despite the prohibition to leave the country that the administration of Nicolás Maduro imposed on him.
Mario Abdo Benítez, president of Paraguay, announced on Thursday the rupture of diplomatic relations with Venezuela after threats from the Venezuelan president in response to the repudiation of his new mandate by the Lima Group, of which Paraguay is a member.
The presidents of all Mercosur member and associate countries gathered Tuesday in Montevideo for a summit to redefine the bloc's future, in light of recent statements from Brazil's future government that the region will not be among the priorities of Jair Bolsonaro when he becomes president on January 1.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Paraguay Sunday afternoon to meet with President Mario Abdo Benítez and visit the local Japanese community. After a stopover in Uruguay, Abe, who became the first Japanese prime minister ever to visit Paraguay, was welcomed at the Silvio Pettirossi international airport by Foreign Minister Luis Alberto Castiglioni.
The presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Mario Abdo Benítez, of Paraguay, Sunday agreed in Asunción to join efforts against terrorism and transnational crime as well as to further commercial and business alliances between their two countries.
Latin American leaders congratulated Brazilian president elect Jair Messias Bolsonaro for his Sunday victory. Be it via twitter, official releases or direct phone calls, the next president of Brazil was well wished even from neighboring Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
Mario Abdo Benitez, Marito, took over as Paraguay's new president on Wednesday, replacing a seemingly disgruntled Horacio Cartes, who left the inauguration ceremony before it finished. Abdo Benitez, 46, promised to combat poverty and entrenched corruption, and urged Paraguayans to look toward the future and not remain stuck in the past as he took the oath of office to start a five-year term.
President Tsai Ing-wen will visit two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Paraguay and Belize, Aug. 12-20, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Maria Liu said on Monday. On the trip, Tsai will make transit stops in the United States - in Los Angeles on first leg and in Houston on the return journey, Liu said.
Paraguay will have a woman president for the first time in its history, at least temporarily, after outgoing leader Horacio Cartes decided to step down ahead of schedule. Vice-President Alicia Pucheta, 68, will complete Cartes' mandate after he resigned to become a senator.