Government excluded from meeting between state governors and U.S. officials

Visiting Brazil and Argentina this week, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet the governors of Brazil’s nine Amazonian states. The get-together will take place in Brasília, but representatives of the federal government will not participate.

Press officials of Vice President Hamilton Mourão, who leads Brazil’s Amazon Council, refused to answer a question on whether his office was invited to the meeting.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Brazil, the summit seeks “to discuss opportunities to strengthen the U.S.-Brazil strategic partnership, enhance regional stability, advance climate objectives, collaborate on digital infrastructure, and help forge a path on Covid-19 pandemic recovery.”

During the meeting, Pará Governor Helder Barbalho will formalize an accord to become the first Brazilian state to sign the UN’s Race to Zero campaign to foster sustainable development practices.

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