RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government on Tuesday strongly condemned the U.S. State Department's decision to alter the visa status of Brazil's ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, calling the reasons cited by the United States "false."
The U.S. government revoked the Brazilian ambassador's visa in retaliation for Brazil's refusal last month to issue visas to two U.S. State Department officials and its delay in approving U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Brazil.
In a statement, the Brazilian government defended its decision to deny entry visas to the two U.S. officials, saying they intended to visit Brazil to question the integrity of the country's electoral system, which it described as an unacceptable attempt to interfere in domestic political affairs.
Regarding Washington's criticism of the approval process for the new U.S. ambassador, Brazil said the United States had publicly announced its nominee before formally requesting approval, in violation of Article 4 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
"There is no rule in the Vienna Convention stipulating a deadline for granting agreement," the statement said, adding that the U.S. request remains under review.
The statement also noted that unilateral U.S. sanctions against Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court justices and senior government officials whose U.S. visas were revoked over allegations of political persecution, remain in place, highlighting ongoing tensions between the two countries. ■