On January 16, Jair Bolsonaro welcomed Argentine President Mauricio Macri to the Planalto Palace. The meeting – the first official visit of a head of state to Brazil since the inauguration of the new government – focused on the future of Mercosur and the crisis in Venezuela. Both presidents stressed the need to “modernize” Mercosur and finalize the trade agreement with the European Union.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the positions of the two countries broadly in relation to the global agenda and in terms of the region’s political and economic situation. Whilst the meeting was behind closed doors, in a joint press statement both leaders declared they will work on the design of a common strategy in Mercosur to promote “a space of integration that tackles the challenges of the XXI century”. On the same day key Brazilian politicians, public officials and advisors, including the Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, held bilateral meetings with their counterparts from the Argentine government.

Bolsonaro stressed the urgency of “changing the working agenda of the bloc,” in pursuit of promoting “the initial proposal for a trade opening”. Although the president had stated that Mercosur “would not be a priority” for his government, he recanted days before finding himself head to head in the second round of the elections with the Partido de los Trabajadores’ candidate, Fernando Haddad.

On the two countries’ relationship, Mauricio Macri said that Argentina and Brazil have “great joint developments in space, nuclear, aeronautics, scientific and technological cooperation” and that “the relationship with Bolsonaro will improve the historical relations between Argentina and Brazil”. Bolsonaro, who will have a second meeting with Macri in April, said that “there are no taboos” in the relationship.