Brazilian president chooses WEF for first overseas trip

President Bolsonaro at his presidential inauguration with his wife Michele. Keystone

Brazil’s new President, Jair Bolsonaro, has announced that his first overseas visit since taking office this month will be to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

The rightwing Bolsonaro will join US President Donald Trump and many other world leaders in Switzerland from January 21-25. The annual showpiece meeting attracts around 3,000 political and business heads plus leaders in the worlds of science, culture, civil society and religion.

Bolsonaro made his announcement during his first television interview since taking office on January 1. Finance Minister Paulo Guedes has reportedly been chosen to be part of the former military officer’s entourage.

The imminent arrival of Brazil’s new head of state is another feather in the cap of WEF following the return of Trump for his second successive appearance. The meeting has also been embroiled in a controversy over the Russian delegation, which at one point threatened not to attend if businessmen sanctioned by the US were not allowed to attend.

The theme of this year’s WEF Davos meetingExternal link is “Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.