Lula and Penã defended agility to close an agreement with the European Union

The presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the elected president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, defended this Friday (28th), at the Alvorada Palace, a quick conclusion to the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.

The two presidents discussed the common agendas that, in the coming years, will bring the countries closer together.

“I enjoyed the meeting very much”, declared Lula. “We talked about the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur and the need to engage in order to do things quickly”, she said.

“We have been discussing topics of cooperation in the security area, cooperation in the economic area, border crossings, improving cooperation in areas of investment in the region, and promoting more commercial exchange between Paraguay and Brazil, said the Paraguayan.

Read more: By electing Santiago Peña, Paraguay maintains conservative hegemony

Peña said he perceives the bilateral relationship with great optimism, “because I feel that Paraguayans and Brazilians dreamed big 50 years ago”.

“Today we have to dream big again. And my dream is that in Paraguay and Brazil people don’t have to go hungry, there don’t have to be people who don’t study, there don’t have to be people who don’t have work. We have to create conditions for health, education, employment, and that requires investment. So I believe that the vision of generating the resources is the best strategy for our countries”, she assured.

Partnership

In Latin America, Paraguay is home to the largest Brazilian community residing abroad, which reaches more than 245,000 Brazilians. Brazil is the largest direct foreign investor in Paraguay (US$904 million), as well as the main trading partner of the neighboring country. In 2022, bilateral trade between the two countries reached a record value of US$ 7.15 billion – an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous year.

The presidents committed themselves to speeding up negotiations on topics of interest, such as energy, security, trade and investment, among others. Also highlighted was the need to advance in the integration of production chains and transport infrastructure between Brazil and Paraguay — including waterways in the Paraná basin and the interoceanic corridor.

President Lula confirmed a trip to the inauguration of the President of Paraguay, in Asunción, on August 15, as well as the holding of another bilateral meeting after the inauguration. The two presidents also discussed the integration of South American countries and the Mercosur-EU agreement.

With information from the Presidency of the Republic