Nowadays German foreign ministers are no longer granted premieres too often. There is the Chancellor, who always snatches away foreign policy issues. And there is the European Union, with its Foreign Affairs Commissioner Federica Mogherini, who as a national foreign minister has to give up from time to time if you are serious about the common European foreign policy.

This Tuesday, however, Heiko Maas is the first time, for the first time, to meet the newly elected Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro. Maybe it's because Maas really got the right moment with his new "Latin America Initiative". Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Europeans are not the first priority for the new Brazilian president. After taking office, Bolsonaro flew first to Benjamin Netanyahu to Israel and then to Donald Trump to Washington.

Bolsonaro has made himself president with a similar agenda as the White House ally. The former paratrooper does not think much of international agreements. In his opinion, the United Nations is an enemy of communism, and the 64-year-old has questioned climate change on several occasions. Critics also consider him - another parallel to Trump - to be a racist and misogynist.

Why Brazil?

In this respect, the question arises, why Maas has chosen just the largest Latin American country as the first stop of his journey. The visits should serve, Maas said before flying off in Berlin, to strengthen the multilateralist alliance he called for.

Whether Brazil is eligible, may be doubted. Although, for example, German economic experts in Brazil point out that perhaps Bolsonaro is a difficult partner, but his team is quite reasonable. Also, the president has not done everything in his first four months, what he has announced. For example, the exit from the Paris Climate Agreement. And in the UN Security Council, Brazil, like Germany, belongs to the G4 group, which is pushing for a permanent seat in the highest UN body.

Because Maas does not know what awaits him when visiting the president in the capital Brasilia, the day before, for safety's sake, sets a counterpoint. He flies from Berlin first to Salvador. The third largest city in Brazil stands for the indigenous Brazil, it was the scene of slave revolts. At the Goethe-Institut, Maas launched the German-Latin American women's network Unidas on Monday - alongside actress Sibel Kekilli.

After all, interested in a strategic partnership

"Salvador is a good place to start a women's network," says Maas. "Those who share the same values ​​need to be much closer together, which is an important part of our foreign policy." Last week, Maas passed a resolution against sexual violence in the United Nations Security Council, and the Americans resisted it for a long time.

The present women activists thank the German Social Democrat for his support. "We are in the midst of a serious crisis," said the Minister of State of Bahia Arany Santana, describing the situation after Bolsonaro's election. In the past, the Goethe-Institut has served as a shelter for activities when they were viewed critically by the Brazilian state. "Here we can hold secret meetings," said the Minister of Culture.

Brazil was previously regarded as an ally of Germany. Even joint government consultations were agreed. They first took place in 2015 - and never again. Bolsonaro's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo assures his German counterpart that Brazil remains interested in the "strategic partnership" with Berlin.

Cool atmosphere - Maas satisfied anyway

Then it goes to the presidential palace. The conversation is cooler than that with the Foreign Minister. Bolsonaro speaks above all about the economic reconstruction of Brazil and the educational misery. He is committed to the close partnership and views he shares with Trump and Netanyahu.

Maas addresses the "irritations" that triggered Bolsonaro's statements on climate change, the rights of indigenous peoples, and the UN international. At least rhetorically Bolsonaro is committed to the values ​​presented by his German guest.

The German Foreign Minister is then satisfied. It was good to have come to Brazil instead of just "shaking his head from afar", he says shortly before the flight to Colombia. What he had heard from his Brazilian interlocutors was exactly what he had hoped for. But: "It is the beginning of a dialogue, now it is important to follow the words with deeds."