Versión Español
Spanish – The Brazilian government invested some 913,000 euros, preparing its army for a possible armed conflict with the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
In fact, a report in the newspaper La Razón revealed that Brazilian military personnel recreated a war camp in which a supposed “red country” invaded a “blue country,” and it was necessary to expel the invaders. In the simulated armed action, it is presumed that the red country represents Venezuela.
“The Brazilian Army spent six million reais (approximately 1,067,648 USD) in fuel, flight hours, and transportation alone to simulate a war between two supposed countries in the Amazon in an unprecedented military operation,” the report states.
“Various military means were used, such as vehicles, planes, helicopters, ferries, regional boats, artillery units, the Army Astros rocket launching system, cannons, machine guns, Oto Melara howitzers, and 60, 81, and 120 mm mortars, in addition to special vehicles and trucks,” said the Army.
“It is impossible not to consider tensions and crises in the strategic environment, with possible splits for Brazil that may motivate the country to contribute to the solution of eventual controversies or to defend its interests,” reads a part of the text of the last edition of the White Book of the Defense of Brazil.
According to La Razón, the alleged war took place between September 8 and 22, days that coincided with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Roraima, a border region with Venezuela.
Operation Amazon
The military exercises were called “Operation Amazon” and included the launching of missiles with a range of 80 kilometers. “Within the situation created and with the means granted, it was the first time this type of operation was carried out,” the Army reported.
Operation Amazon also occurs in line with “Operation Poseidon,” conducted in parallel in the Caribbean by the U.S. Southern Command and supported by Colombian troops.
Recently, the Brazilian government sent a communiqué to the illegitimate Chavista Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, announcing the suspension of the credentials of its diplomatic personnel and the prohibition of circulation of its vehicles.
President Jair Bolsonaro stressed that the United States, along with Brazil, is working to “restore democracy in Venezuela.” In a message on Twitter, he also commented that the visit of the U.S. Chancellor to the border state of Roraima “shows how our countries are aligned in the search for the common good.” Finally, the president also praised the foreign policy of the U.S. president, and also presidential candidate, Donald Trump
“Seeking peace does not mean cowering before tyrants and criminals.”
Brazil’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Araújo, replied that “The legacy of the Brazilian diplomatic tradition does not include indifference towards our neighbors. In the current case of Venezuela, such indifference would be immoral and would endanger the security of Brazilians.”
In a statement, he said:
Seeking peace does not mean cowering before tyrants and criminals. National independence does not mean rejecting the alliances that help us defend our most urgent interests and our most precious values. Promoting Latin American integration does not mean facilitating the integration of drug cartels. Non-interference does not mean letting criminals act undisturbed.
“The Brazilian people are in solidarity with their neighbors, and Operation Welcome represents that solidarity. The Brazilian people value their own security, and the persistence in Venezuela of a regime allied with drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime permanently threatens that security. The Brazilian people are deeply attached to democracy, and the Maduro regime is constantly working to undermine democracy throughout South America,” he added.
There is no “autonomy and pride” in ignoring the suffering of the Venezuelan people or in neglecting the safety of the Brazilian people, he said.
