Brazil will donate two helicopters to Paraguay to inspect the border

The Brazilian government will donate two helicopters to Paraguay, with the aim of intensifying surveillance on the border between the two countries. The measure was authorized by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and National Defense (CREDN) of the Chamber of Deputies.

The donation is a move by Brazil to get closer to the new government of Paraguay, which will take office on August 15th. Gustavo Peña, from the Colorado Party, won the presidential elections on April 30 and will serve a five-year term.

The Executive Bill of 2020, approved at CREDN, with the opinion of Deputy Delegate Paulo Belynskyj (PL-SP), emphasizes that the aircraft will be used in actions to prevent and repress cross-border crimes. The donation involves two Model 412 Classic helicopters manufactured by Bell Aircraft Corporation. Both belong to the fleet of the Federal Police’s Operational Aviation Command.

Belynskyj explained that “the length of the Brazil-Paraguay border, of almost 1,400 kilometers, in itself, is already a factor that hinders its effective inspection, especially with regard to the prevention and repression of transnational crimes that occur daily in the country. region”.

“We are aware of Paraguay’s shortcomings in this area, and Brazil hopes that the donation can contribute to expanding Paraguay’s operational capacity in inspection work at its borders and, consequently, increase efficiency in the fight against transnational organized crime”, he pointed out.

Treaty of Itapu

In addition to issues directly linked to border inspection, such as combating merchandise smuggling and drug trafficking, Brazil and Paraguay have a very important issue to address this year: the renewal of the Itaipu Treaty, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on the 26th of April. The current agreement on the management of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant provides that, as of that date, it will be possible to renegotiate its terms.

In the current contract, each country is entitled to half of the energy produced by the Itaipu Plant, but that Brazil would have preference in the acquisition of surplus energy, at prices lower than market prices. With the end of this obligation, Paraguay will have the right to sell this amount to whoever it prefers, for better prices.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, on the last of the 16th, Peña defended changes in the Treaty and denied that he was interested in selling the surplus to other nations, but using it in his own country, meeting the demands that will arise with the expansion of the country’s infrastructure. “We have to define a new role. I think that this new role has to be the development of our peoples and provide work and improve the people’s quality of life. This requires a very important investment in infrastructure, human capital, education and health”.