The Obama Administration has again invited Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff for a state visit to Washington, a diplomatic breakthrough that both sides hope will lead over time to greater trade between the two biggest economies in the Americas.
Rousseff had originally been scheduled to make a state visit, which involves a black-tie dinner at the White House and is considered the strongest expression of friendly ties between allies, in October 2013.
But the leftist leader canceled her trip after she was angered by revelations that the US National Security Agency (NSA) spied on her personal communications. She said it was "incompatible" with a relationship among allies.
Yet, after more than a year of efforts by both sides to heal relations, Vice President Joe Biden re-extended the invitation to Rousseff in a phone call on March 13, sources with knowledge of the conversation told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Rousseff will discuss the timing of the visit with Obama when the two leaders meet on the sidelines of a summit in Panama next month, a senior Brazilian official said on Tuesday.
Her popularity has tumbled due to a huge corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA and an economy that has struggled since a long boom last decade.
"While our relations have sometimes been rocky, we're betting on Brazil to succeed and grow in importance," a senior US official said, calling Brazil "a key global actor."
The two countries have disagreed in recent years about some hot-button foreign policy issues, with Brazil for the most part declining to join Washington in its criticism of Venezuela's left-wing government, for example.
The US consulate in Sao Paulo issues more visas than any other US mission abroad, with roughly 600,000 in 2014, nearly double the number seen in 2010. Diplomats often joke that Brazilian travelers single-handedly revived the economies of Miami and Orlando in recent years.
Bilateral trade totaled $72 billion in 2014, up 20 per cent from 2010, with a $12 billion surplus in favor of the United States, according to the US Department of Commerce. The United States is Brazil's second-biggest export market behind China.
Meanwhile, Brazilian officials have spoken of a renewed emphasis on trade, especially with the United States, as a way to stir the economy from its recent funk. Its new trade minister, Armando Monteiro, went to Washington in February for his first trip abroad in the job.
"Our countries' private sectors are way ahead of the public sectors in terms of integration," said Susan Segal, president of Council of the Americas. She said a state visit would be "a great development."
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