We must be vigilant with false democrats, says Lula in Mercosur

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Monday (8.Jul.2024) that it is necessary to stay “vigilante” contra “false democrats” in his speech at the Mercosur summit in Paraguay. He criticized the coup attempt in Bolivia, blamed Europe for the failure of the bloc’s agreement and cited progress with China.

“The unanimous reaction to June 26 in Bolivia and January 8 in Brazil demonstrate that there are no shortcuts to democracy in our region. But we must remain vigilant. False democrats are trying to undermine institutions and put them at the service of reactionary interests. As long as our region remains among the most unequal in the world, political stability will remain under threat.”these.

Watch (2min11s):

For Lula, the “good economists” They know that there are not only positive points in the free market. He stated that anyone who knows South America knows how to recognize qualities in inducing and planning states.

“Mercosur is resilient and has survived the difficult years of disintegration. Thinking the same has never been a criterion for constructive engagement in the bloc’s tasks”he declared.

Watch the full speech (15min8s):

EU-MERCOSUR AGREEMENT

The president blamed Europe for the failure of the European bloc’s agreement with Mercosur: “We only failed to conclude the agreement with the European Union because the Europeans have not yet managed to resolve their own internal contradictions.”

Lula also mentioned the need to move forward with other agreements, such as with China, and praised a commitment reached with Palestine. He took advantage of the speech to criticize the war that he called “irrational”.

“I hope that this year we can deepen the dialogue on a comprehensive agreement with China. Improving the Local Currency Payment System will be an important task for the next presidency pro tempore.”he declared.