The Brazilian government released this Tuesday (30) the “Consensus of Brasilia”, a final declaration highlighting the points of agreement after a meeting between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and presidents of South America in the federal capital. The document points to convergences such as the fight against the climate crisis and the defense of regional integration.
Despite the presence of the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and a representative of Peru, there were disagreements at the meeting. One of the sticking points was the state of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur). Both Brazil and Argentina, the two largest economies in the region, defend the bloc created in 2008, but face resistance.
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The president of Uruguay, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, said during the summit that it is necessary to stop “creating organizations” and start taking action. Chilean President Gabriel Boric has also questioned the bloc’s legitimacy on previous occasions.
During his speech at the opening of the event, Lula defended Unasur, but emphasized that he defended dialogue and stated that he had “no preconceived ideas about the future institutional design that we could adopt.”
In the “Consensus of Brasilia” document, Unasur is not mentioned, but the creation of a “contact group, led by Foreign Ministers, is defended to evaluate the experiences of South American integration mechanisms and the elaboration of a road map for the integration of South America, to be submitted for consideration by the Heads of State”.
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Another sticking point was Venezuela. The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, was received by Lula on Monday (29), who stated at the time that the neighboring country is the victim of a “narrative” of “anti-democracy” and “authoritarianism”.
The PT’s speech was criticized by Lacalle Pou and Boric. During a press conference, the Chilean leader said that Venezuela is not the target of a “narrative construction” and claimed to have “respectfully” disagreed with Lula. Lacalle Pou, in turn, broadcast his statement at the summit on YouTube and said he was “surprised” by the Brazilian’s statements.
“It is being negotiated to talk about democracy [em uma declaração conjunta], human rights and and to protect institutions. If this point did not exist, I would have no reason to give an opinion”, said the Uruguayan president.
The text of the “Brasília Consensus” defends the “strengthening of democracy” and highlights other points such as the climate crisis, the “promotion of the ecological and energy transition” and establishes “as a goal an effective South American free trade area”.
The full statement can be read at the link.
Editing: Nicolau Soares
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
