Brazil criticizes Venezuela for escalating tensions and personal attacks

SAO PAULO — Brazil's government broke its silence Friday over growing tensions with neighboring Venezuela, with the Foreign Ministry saying it was surprised by ''the offensive tone'' adopted by Venezuelan authorities toward Brazil.

In recent days, Venezuela's government has escalated its criticism of Brazilian foreign relations officials and even President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a long-time ally.

''The choice of personal attacks and rhetorical escalations, instead of political and diplomatic channels, does not align with the respectful manner in which the Brazilian government treats Venezuela and its people,'' the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

President Nicolás Maduro's government intensified its criticism of Brazil after a top adviser to Brazil's president said the country had not supported Venezuela's bid to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies at the recent summit in Russia. That decision added to tensions between the two nations over disputed results in Venezuela's July presidential election and calls for transparency from Brazil and other countries.

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it summoned Brazil's chargé d'affaires in Venezuela, Breno Hermann, to ''express its strongest rejection of the recurrent interventionist and rude statements of spokespersons authorized by the Brazilian government.''

The ministry also accused Celso Amorim, Brazil's former foreign minister and special adviser to Lula, of acting ''like a messenger of American imperialism'' by ''issuing value judgments on processes that only correspond to Venezuelans and their democratic institutions.'' It added that his actions threaten the ''ties that unite both countries.''

Initially, Brazil's diplomatic approach was to avoid commenting to prevent escalating tensions, a Foreign Ministry source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly. However, this stance shifted after Venezuela's Bolivarian National Police shared an image Thursday on social media depicting what appeared to be Lula's silhouette over Brazil's national flag with the text: ''If you mess with Venezuela, you wilt.''

''Our homeland is independent, free, and sovereign. We do not accept blackmail from anyone; we are not anyone's colony,'' the publication added.

In the Friday statement, Brazil's Foreign Ministry said it values non-intervention and fully respects the sovereignty of each neighboring country. The statement explained that Brazil's interest in Venezuela's electoral process stems from its role as a witness to the 2023 Barbados Agreements, in which Venezuela's government and opposition settled on electoral conditions.

''The Brazilian government remains convinced that partnerships should be based on open dialogue, respect for differences, and mutual understanding,'' the statement said.

Amorim, the former foreign minister, in a Tuesday hearing before Brazilian lawmakers, acknowledged ''discomfort'' between the two countries, attributing it to the Maduro administration's refusal to publish detailed election results. He said that improving diplomatic relations ''will depend on actions'' taken by Venezuela, without providing specifics.

Venezuela's electoral authorities claimed they could not publish the detailed results because their website was hacked. At the same time, the main opposition coalition secured vote tally sheets from more than 80% of the electronic voting machines used across the country, published them online and declared that its candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González, had defeated Maduro by a landslide.

After the July 28 election, Lula, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — all leftists and friendly with Maduro — inserted themselves into Venezuela's election standoff to attempt a peacemaking effort. But it went nowhere, and Maduro has since consolidated his rule, reshuffled his Cabinet and jailed more than 2,000 opponents.

The BRICS bloc, which initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Brazil opposed including Venezuela at the group's summit earlier this month.

''Brazil does not want an indefinite expansion,'' Amorim, Lula's special adviser, told lawmakers. ''Brazil believes its members should be countries with influence that can help represent the region. And Venezuela today does not meet these conditions, in our opinion."

Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Ministry characterized the move as ''irrational behavior'' and likened it to the economic sanctions that the U.S. imposed against the South American country.