This archive report was first published on 4 August 2019.
On a trip to Brazil, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was left waiting for a meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro, only to be told that the Brazilian leader had a more pressing engagement - a haircut.
Instead of meeting with Le Drian, Bolsonaro broadcast his haircut live on Facebook, leaving many to wonder what had taken priority over diplomacy.
"We all know the constraints that heads of state have on their agendas. Evidently it appears there was a capillary emergency," Le Drian told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper in an interview, downplaying the situation.
Despite the cancelled meeting, Le Drian described his trip as "very positive", citing productive talks with Brazilian civil society, business leaders, and his counterpart, Ernesto Araujo.
"It is in France's interests to speak with Brazil, and with all Brazilians," he added.
The cancelled meeting comes as tensions between France and Brazil continue to rise over environmental issues, with Bolsonaro's government facing criticism over rampant deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
