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WORLD | 17-01-2020 17:57

Bolsonaro taunts Fernández over US support for Brazil's OECD bid

"We want Argentina to work, but we know that because of the political party there they will have difficulties," says Brazilian leader.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised Alberto Fernández's government again, saying that the United States' decision to prioritise support for Brazil's entry into the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) over Argentina is the result of the Peronist leader's victory in the October election.

"We want Argentina to work, but we know that because of the political party there they will have difficulties. They took the option of choosing the person who put them in the situation of misfortune in which they found themselves," said Bolsonaro, in one of his regular video appearances aired on social networks.

In a significant gesture to the Brazilian administration, the US government told the OECD recently it would officially approve Brazil's entry into the organisation, thus relegating Argentina, which also aspired to a position in the organisation under former president Mauricio Macri, to the back of the queue.

The election of President Alberto Fernández and his running mate Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to office seems to have severely damaged Argentina's chances of applying for OECD membership now, though it remains unclear if the Peronist duo would even seek to join now.

In contrast, Brazil's outspoken far-right leader seems more confident than ever that he may be on the verge of winning an important diplomatic victory.

The information was provided by the United States Embassy in Brazil to the Folha de São Paulo newspaper and later confirmed by La Nación.

Officials in Washington released a statement to the press on the issue, saying "the United States wants Brazil to be the next country to begin access to the OECD."

"The decision to prioritise Brazil is a natural evolution of our commitment, reaffirmed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump," the text continues. The statement adds that "the Brazilian government is working to align its economic policies with the OECD standard."

– AFP/AGENCIES

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