Mauro Vieira Invites Venezuela’s New Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco to Visit Brazil

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met with Venezuela’s new foreign minister, Oliver Blanco, in Spain on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and invited him to visit Brazil. Blanco accepted, according to the account of the meeting.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said the two discussed the crisis Venezuela faced after earthquakes struck the region in June, as well as restarting talks on shared interests, including trade relations and Amazon cooperation. It was their first meeting since Blanco took over as foreign minister.

Blanco assumed the post last week at the direction of acting President Delcy Rodríguez. He replaced Félix Plasencia, who was appointed to lead the international affairs division of the presidency. Rodríguez has governed Venezuela since the beginning of the year, after the United States captured Nicolás Maduro and removed him from power.

Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s vice president, has pursued closer ties with the United States. The United States has since taken a central role in the country’s administration and in control of Venezuela’s oil reserves. That dialogue with the White House differs from Maduro’s more distant approach: he had spoken confrontationally about Washington and blamed it for some of Venezuela’s economic difficulties and humanitarian crisis.

Blanco had previously worked in Venezuelan diplomacy, managing relations with European and North American countries. Days after becoming foreign minister, he visited the United States and met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a move described as signaling alignment with the administration of President Donald Trump. Brazil, by contrast, has supported dialogue with Maduro and criticized the U.S. operation that captured him. Diplomatic sources said the bilateral relationship should not weaken amid U.S. involvement in Venezuela, while noting Brazil remains cautious about the country’s future direction.