Speech by His Excellency Ambassador Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira during the ceremony in which he took office as Minister of Foreign Affairs – Itamaraty Palace, Brasília, 2 January 2015

 I was deeply honored to receive from the President of the Republic, Dilma Rousseff, the invitation to take up the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her own popular mandate, which has been renewed, confers upon her the moral force and leadership to take us forward on the path of prosperity and happiness, which is the purpose of Brazil’s national project.

I express my gratitude to her for the trust that her gesture represents, and for the honor of being by her side in this great undertaking. And I wish to affirm my commitment to work intensely so as to repay the trust placed in me.

As with the other roles I have previously performed in The Secretariat of State in Brasilia and abroad, I accept this challenge with a sense of enchantment and also a great sense of responsibility and loyalty towards the President, conscious as I am of what it means, for a veteran servant of Itamaraty  and the Brazilian state, to sit the chair of the Baron of Rio Branco. I share this sense of duty in the service of the nation with all my colleagues in the House, the diplomats and other employees who pursue their careers in Itamaraty, who always take inspiration from the Baron’s motto Ubique Patriae memor – “Wherever I go I shall remember my country”.

I take on this challenge with great determination to carry out the foreign-policy directives decided upon by the President of the Republic. My work will be rooted in the finest traditions of this House, in the support and engagement of all its employees, and in our diplomatic heritage – in short, in the permanent project which has always driven Brazilian diplomacy: to define and project the identity of Brazil, and to identify and defend the country’s interests in a world marked by increasing opportunities, challenges and risks.

 I am privileged to succeed Ambassador Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, my dear friend, whose human qualities, talent and experience enriched the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs and will also be vital in performing the new role to be entrusted to him by the President of the Republic.

Under the leadership of Ambassador Figueiredo, Itamaraty continued to be an instrument through which Brazil became more firmly established on the international stage as a protagonist with regard to various different issues, always in harmony with our South American identity, with the principle of multilateralism, and with international law. Dear Figueiredo, I will count on your advice during the long journey which begins today, and wish you great happiness and great achievements in the next stage of your personal and professional life.

I would also like to offer a word of thanks to the Secretary General of Itamaraty, Ambassador Eduardo dos Santos, my colleague right from our early days as trainee diplomats and a dear friend whose experience and wisdom have been so helpful in conducting the affairs of this House.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I define myself, essentially, as a professional diplomat. I see here today the senior members of this House alongside the new generations, and I identify with every one of my colleagues. Throughout my 40 years as a diplomat I have always felt inspired by the previous generations who built up this institution, this piece of our national heritage which is recognized as one of the best and most professional foreign ministries in the world, and whose soul is constituted of careers pursued in the service of the State, solidly anchored in experience and in the ideal of constant professional development.

At different times, and in different roles, I have been fortunate to work with some of the most outstanding Brazilian diplomats of recent decades – among whom, given the  proximity in which we worked and the intensity of what we shared, I would like to mention Celso Amorim, Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães and Luiz Felipe de Seixas Corrêa. With each of them I learned to admire the way they expressed their inalienable commitment to Brazil, leading Itamaraty in that function of the State which it has performed ever since its creation: to identify, collect, synthesize, interpret, promote and protect the highest and most legitimate national aspirations and interests, in constant interaction with the outside world. I also had the privilege of working outside Itamaraty under the leadership of the late Minister Renato Archer, who taught me so much about our country at the time of the creation of the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1985.

Even in the midst of difficulties and frustrations, the day-to-day work we all perform, in Brazil and abroad, has always retained that ultimate meaning which originally inspired us to choose this unique profession which shifts us constantly across the world's landscapes: to contribute, through the country’s improved interaction with its region and with the world, to making the real Brazil become more like the country we dream of being.

We are the proud heirs of those who helped establish our sovereignty, consolidate our independence, define our borders, and increasingly project our presence in the world. We are proud to be the instruments for international action of a great country which looks upon the world and our partners with a vision of cooperation, mutual support, a commitment to social and human development, and therefore, a commitment to improving the institutions of global and regional governance in the best interests of the world’s peoples.

 Ladies and gentlemen, my colleagues,

In her inaugural address to the National Congress yesterday, the President traced the outlines of the foreign policy she wishes to see carried out in her second term of office. More than that, the President traced the outlines of the public policies she aims to develop, making clear to Brazil’s diplomats the role we should play in assisting the Government’s efforts in the domestic sphere, making Brazil’s international relations an instrument for supporting domestic policies and driving them forward, starting with macroeconomic policy.

It is a discourse which values Brazil’s international agenda, regarding it with pragmatism and with the sense of a national project. This will be our plan of action; the basis on which we will consolidate or revise our operational strategies so as to act in total harmony with the Government’s objectives.

This international agenda today presents Brazil with great challenges. We must face them with determination, with creativity, and above all with full awareness of our identity both as a continent-sized nation and a South American country with a history of dedication to peace and to economic and social development around the world – a history we can be increasingly proud of, and of which Itamaraty feels itself to be a guardian.

The governments of President Lula and President Dilma Rousseff have been instrumental in reaffirming this identity and our aspiration to be a great country, a respected and influential country – but without ever losing sight of other countries’ perspectives, which is the only way to face our challenges with balance and wisdom.

Foreign relations are a vital field in order to achieve national development in its broadest sense, the sense given it by President Dilma Rousseff, a concept combining economic growth, social justice, respect for human rights, access to education and basic services, the right to decent work: in short, the participation of every Brazilian in building this nation and in the fruits of this common undertaking.

The relationship between domestic and international affairs is becoming ever closer. The globalized world has diluted the boundaries between foreign policy, as traditionally conceived, and the other spheres of government, creating an interconnection between the domestic and international dimensions. When it comes to any of the major foreign-policy issues, administrating this interconnection depends not only on Itamaraty. But, fundamentally, it is up to Itamaraty to work in harmony with the different areas of government, generating the synergies that will enhance the actions and the negotiating position of Brazil in the world.

Itamaraty has very clearly defined roles within the scope of the Government and in regard to Brazilian society. Just like all other foreign ministries, we are the country’s first line of representation and negotiation in the world. We also have a special calling to help society, and Brazilian economic and social agents, to better understand the world, our interests, and our diplomatic agenda. These are, without doubt, extremely complex tasks. Tasks to which this House has always been dedicated, adapting itself to new challenges whenever necessary. That is how we will continue to work.

The call for a global society which is more just and cohesive, and less hierarchical, corresponds with Brazil’s struggle, and that of many other nations, to build a democratic and participatory society within our own borders. This has always been, and will continue to be, the purpose of Brazil’s efforts in helping to seek out a formula which will make possible the reform of the Security Council, so as to make it more representative and legitimate, and therefore more efficient.

In fact, the victories Brazil has achieved domestically, in the fields of equality and social inclusion, further boost our credentials for championing these same values in the international arena. The consolidation of these advances increases Brazil’s soft power, increasingly manifested through our cooperation with friendly countries. International cooperation is a unique tool that allows us simultaneously to share innovative experiences and to incorporate and disseminate technical and technological advances in Brazil’s productive and scientific sectors. The strengthening of international cooperation as an instrument of Brazilian foreign policy, and therefore of the country’s technological and economic development, constitutes a central objective that requires Itamaraty’s full engagement.

The agenda that awaits us in 2015 and beyond is broad and promising, as indicated by the President in her inaugural address. In accordance with our traditional line of action, both regional and universal, we will endeavor to consolidate South American integration in every field and to expand our efforts in the same direction with the rest of the region; to consolidate our ties with the developed world – the United States, the European Union and Japan; our relations with the BRICS and the emerging countries; with our brothers in Africa and the Middle East, especially with the Portuguese-speaking countries; with all the members of the international community. We will continue to work with great commitment in the United Nations, in the WTO, in the G-20, in the negotiations regarding the climate and internet governance, and on many other fronts.

We will act calmly on all the new and traditional fronts of Brazilian diplomacy. We will follow a basic principle, which is that our interests are geographically and thematically universal, and therefore neither present contradictions nor accept exclusiveness.

There are, for Brazil, neither dichotomies nor contradictions of interests in our relations with developed, emerging or developing countries – just as there are neither contradictions nor dichotomies in our pursuit of a broad economic, social, humanitarian and human-rights agenda on both the multilateral and regional planes.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

It is necessary for our foreign trade agenda to reflect this reality. We will redouble our efforts in the area of international trade, seeking to develop or enhance relations with foreign markets – all foreign markets. A central objective for Itamaraty during President Dilma Rousseff’s second term will be to work hard to open, expand or consolidate Brazil’s access to all foreign markets, promoting and defending the Brazilian productive sector, assisting it in its own initiatives, and helping wherever possible to attract investment.

When looking at the world, Itamaraty sees, first and foremost, Brazilian citizens. It’s up to us to look after the well-being of our citizens who are abroad on either a permanent or temporary basis. I will commit myself to ensuring that Brazilian consular policy has at its disposal the human and material resources needed to respond adequately to the growing demand for services and assistance – a result of the significant increase in the number of Brazilians living abroad or travelling as tourists, or for work, or to study, or for various other reasons. My goal is to work hard so that the Brazilian Government can offer an increasingly high-quality consular service to its citizens abroad.

Just as in the commercial and consular areas, we will also have constructive projects and proposals in all other fields of our diplomacy.

Brazil will continue to play the role of a global actor, because that role corresponds to the reality of the country and to the profound aspirations of its people. And Itamaraty will continue to contribute to the coordination of those multiple aspects of our insertion into international affairs which fall into our area of responsibility. We will do this in coordination with all the organs of Government and in consultation with Congress, civil society and economic agents. And we will be sure always to provide information about our actions, and to be accountable for them.

Dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In order to properly fulfill its vocation and to remain able to operate in a world undergoing rapid change, Itamaraty needs constantly to adapt its internal organization. I wish to state my commitment to improving and modernizing our working methods, strengthening and improving the career structure for diplomats and the other employees of the Foreign Service.

Together we will seek practical solutions for those problems which are specific to the Foreign Service because of its unique position within the Government. The central issues of selection, training, career progression, pay, movement between posts and professional development must be addressed in the light of the objectives and scope of foreign policy, with the aim of preserving and valuing the Ministry’s extraordinary human capital and extracting from it the best possible performance for the good of society as a whole.

In this task, always in consultation with this House, we will draw upon those ideas that have arisen through the broad process of consultation led by Minister Figueiredo. I will pay particular attention to the concerns of younger colleagues, whose enthusiastic dedication has always been one of the fundamental pillars of Itamaraty and without which we would not have the workforce and the renovative spirit which so distinguish us.

To renovate an institution is to strengthen it. And no renovation is possible without the creative input of the new generations who provide, with their enthusiasm and engagement, that which experience has not yet taught them.

I want to say a special word to my Foreign Service colleagues around the world, out there in the trenches of our diplomacy, often working under the pressure of great difficulties and feeling distant.

I will seek to support them in every way I can so that they are able to meet the permanent material challenges faced by our posts abroad.

Our network of posts, as everyone knows, has expanded in an unprecedented way and now constitutes an extraordinary tool for promoting our national interests, which we need to manage. We will be attentive to the needs of each post, to its priorities, to the instructions it should be given, to the unique role of each embassy, mission and consulate in the external strategy that Brazil should follow.

I will always be aware that it isn’t enough just to be present in the world: we must also be active. The valuable symbolism of our presence is no substitute for a results-driven diplomacy. And results, which are measured with numbers, are obtained through being aware of our mission, through action, through engagement, through tools.

The challenges Itamaraty faces are not new, and are not, in Brazil or elsewhere, exclusive to it. They are shared by many other countries’ foreign ministries which, like ours, are trying to adapt to the major changes taking place and to serve their national interests in a pragmatic way. In facing these changes we depend upon resources that are finite. Weneed, therefore, to concentrate our resources, our workforce, where it is most needed at any given moment, and for that we need flexibility, agility, versatility.

I am sure our most precious resource, the commitment and dedication of all our employees, will never be lacking. I will work to ensure that this irreplaceable human asset is at all times valued and encouraged, at all levels, in all sections and in every post.

I will work incessantly, under the guidance of the President of the Republic, to provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both in Brasilia and in our posts abroad, with the necessary means to carry out its mission. In order for our presence in the world to become more active, producing more concrete results for the country.

Upon accepting the honor of her invitation, I received from President Dilma Rousseff, personally, the guarantee of her full support. This engagement on the part of our head of state should reassure us and help us to face with determination the tasks that await us.

For this task I have also summoned, as my Secretary General, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, currently Sub-Secretary General for Brazilian Communities Abroad. Ambassador Danese, my friend for many years, has been my colleague in four different posts, either abroad or in Brazil, and is familiar with how I think and the way I work. I am sure the House will welcome him to this post with a full understanding of the significance of my choice.

 Dear colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

For me, today, it is a great responsibility and an honorable privilege to take the reins of this great institution, to which I have already dedicated two-thirds of my life. To be able to live up to this challenge I am counting on each and every one of the employees of this House, whose public spirit and dedication to Brazil have been proven throughout history. And, so that we can all continue to work in harmony and with a full sense of personal and professional fulfillment, I want you also to count on me, always.

Thank you very much.