US national security advisor set to visit Argentina, Brazil

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Brazil and Argentina this week to strengthen "strategic ties" with both countries, the White House reported Monday.

"On his first trip to the region, Mr. Sullivan will meet important non-NATO allies in the Americas," said Joe Biden administration National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Emily Horne in a statement.

In addition to Sullivan, the travelling delegation will be made up of senior NSC officials including the National Security Council Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez, Senior Director for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra, Senior Director for Cyber Amit Mital, and US State Department Senior Bureau Official for Western Hemisphere Ricardo Zúñiga, the current emissary for the Central American Northern Triangle made up of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In Brazil, there will be appointments "to discuss opportunities to strengthen the strategic partnership" between the two countries, as well as to "improve regional stability, advance climate goals, collaborate on digital infrastructure and help forge a path to recovery. from the Covid-19 pandemic," Horne said.

"In Argentina, they will discuss increasing strategic ties on bilateral and regional priorities, including pandemic recovery, the regional climate summit, and shared economic growth and security in our hemisphere and around the world," read the statement.

Argentina received the status of important non-NATO ally of the United States in 1998, during ex-US president Bill Clinton's administration, while Brazil obtained it in 2019, under Donald Trump.

– TIMES/AFP