Clinton Consults with Brazil’s Patriota on Regional Issues
Washington " Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota held wide-ranging talks February 23 on U.S.-Brazilian issues, regional concerns and President Obama’s trip in March.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota held wide-ranging talks February 23 on U.S.-Brazilian issues, regional concerns and President Obama’s trip in March.
Obama is making his first presidential visit to South America, traveling to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador March 19–23.
“It comes at a time when we are cooperating closely, and our bilateral work on issues and global challenges, including food security and human rights and clean energy and global inequality, is key to both of us,” Clinton said at a joint press briefing with Patriota.
Patriota told reporters that the U.S.-Brazilian relationship has developed into a solid partnership in areas that include trade and investment, contacts between civil societies, combating racial discrimination, promoting gender equality, and in emerging areas such as science and technology.
“In particular, we’ve had a very useful discussion on science and technology, how to enhance our cooperation in this area, innovation, in addition to looking at business opportunities,” Patriota said.
“Of course, political dialogue is also increasingly important for Brazil with the key actors in today’s increasingly multipolar world,” he added.
Patriota said Brazil was pleased that the United States supported its initiative to hold a debate at the U.N. Security Council on the linkage between peace, security and development. He said this approach is the essence of trying to address some of the challenges nations face and where the nations of the Western Hemisphere are working cooperatively, such as improving conditions in Haiti. Both Brazil and the United States are among Haiti’s top 10 donors of humanitarian assistance.
Clinton praised Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff for placing significant emphasis on eliminating poverty and advancing women’s empowerment, which are issues that the secretary has highlighted as key parts of her foreign affairs agenda.
“The two are connected because empowered women tend to be entrepreneurial women who lift their families and even their neighborhoods and communities out of poverty,” Clinton said.
Over the past year, the U.S. and Brazilian energy ministries have concluded a work plan for energy that will help both nations advance sustainable technology such as hydropower generation, smart grids and energy efficient housing, Clinton said. And the United States and Brazil have recently initialed an open-skies agreement that will increase the number of commercial flights and make pricing more competitive, she added.
Patriota also met with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Brazil and the United States are members of the Group of 20 advanced economies and have consulted regularly on measures to advance the global economy following the recent economic crisis.
PRESIDENT’S TRIP
The White House announced earlier that the president and first lady will travel to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador March 19–23. The president will meet with the countries’ leaders and speak to the nations on issues including economic prosperity and job creation through increased trade and partnerships, energy and security cooperation, shared values and other issues of regional and global concern.
“The trip will provide an opportunity to engage key bilateral partners, to highlight the president’s engagement with the hemisphere, and to advance our efforts to work as equal partners to address the basic challenges facing the people of the Americas,” the White House announcement said. “The visit will include events in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and San Salvador.”
( This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov )
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This story was released on 2011-02-24. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.