The first official visit of a Brazilian president is usually to neighboring Argentina
Just three weeks after assuming the presidency of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will make his first official trip abroad tomorrow Sunday, to Argentina, implementing his pledge to put the country back on the international stage.
The first official visit of a Brazilian president is usually to neighboring Argentina, and this time the Lula he is going to meet there with a loyal ally and friend, President Alberto Fernandez, as well as his counterparts in the region during the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
“Brazil is back!” Lula declared on the night of his presidential election victory on October 30.
“The whole world wants to talk to Brazil,” he said this week in an interview with Globo television, pledging to “rebuild” Brasilia’s ties with the international community.
Latin America is the first stage of this normalization, shortly before the arrival in Brazil of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on January 30. Lula will then meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on February 10.
His priority Brazilian president is to “renew (the country’s) relations with Latin America, a vital region for Brazil, which had been put on the back burner” under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, explained Joao Daniel Almeida, a foreign relations expert at the university Rio.
Lula is expected tomorrow in Buenos Aires, where the following day he will meet with Fernandez, who warmly congratulated his “friend” on the night of his victory.
Argentina “is a very important partner” for Brazil, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alcmin has stated, as it is, among other things, the third largest importer of Brazilian products.
The talks are expected to cover trade, scientific issues, technology and defense, as pointed out by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry.
“pink wave”
Lula may also meet Tuesday in Buenos Aires with his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz Canel and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, with whom Brasilia wants to renew relations.
Bolsonaro was among about 50 countries that had recognized Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, as the country’s “transitional president.”
He will then travel to Uruguay to meet with centre-right President Luis Lacage-Pou.
In Buenos Aires, he will participate in the 7th CELAC Summit, in which 33 countries of the region participate. At the end of his previous terms (2003-2010), Lula was one of the founders of this organization, during the first “pink wave” in Latin America.
Bolsonaro suspended Brazil’s membership in CELAC, which he accused of “giving importance to non-democratic regimes such as those of Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.”
Accordingly, Bolsonaro did not have close relations with Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia after left-wing leaders came to power.
Lula “wants to prioritize the economic cooperation” of the region, Almeida explained. He has also expressed his wish that all of Latin America adopt a common policy to protect the Amazon.
RES-EMP
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
