President Obama Calls Dilma Rousseff to Congratulate Her on Re-Election

President Barack Obama telephoned Brazilian head of state Dilma Rousseff to congratulate her on her re-election, the White House said.

Obama “emphasized the strategic value of our bilateral partnership and reinforced his commitment to deepening our cooperation in areas such as commerce, energy, and other priority bilateral issues through our existing strategic dialogues,” the White House said in a statement.

Besides thanking Obama, Rousseff, according to the statement, “affirmed that strengthening ties with the United States is a priority for Brazil.”

Rousseff, who took office in January 2011, won a second four-year mandate in Sunday’s presidential runoff, beating Sen. Aecio Neves by 51.6 percent to 48.3 percent.

Relations between Washington and Brasilia grew strained last year after former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden released documents showing that the National Security Agency had intercepted Rousseff’s personal communications.

NSA also targeted Brazilian government ministries and the country’s state-owned oil company, Petrobras.

The revelations prompted Rousseff to suspend a state visit to the United States planned for October 2013.

The first high-level contact between the two government following the spying disclosures came in June, when Vice President Joe Biden met privately with Rousseff during a visit to Brazil to support the U.S. national soccer team in the 2014 World Cup.

Published in Latino Daily News