Brazil and the United States have been negotiating for the removal of barriers in order to facilitate bilateral trade. Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo has already visited the US six times this year, with the American media labelling the latest meeting on 13 September as “a new era of close cooperation” between the two nations.
But some experts have voiced their doubts as to how far this new level of cooperation can go. Brazil is part of the South American economic and political bloc Mercosur, together with Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and until last month Venezuela, which was suspended indefinitely in August. This raises doubts about the parameters of a possible agreement between the states.
In July, US President Donald Trump said he would pursue a trade agreement with Brazil, deepening cooperation.
During his visit to Washington several weeks ago, Brazil's foreign minister said that his country is interested in a deal. “There is no specific timeline but we want it soon”, said Araujo after talks with his US counterpart Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
But at the same time, Araujo in a press statement admitted that Washington still cannot decide whether it would be more profitable for it to negotiate the issue directly with Brazil or within the framework of Mercosur.
Within the bloc, Brazil has obligations to other partners in view of the general trade policy that limits the country's freedom to enter into agreements with third…
