Lula Promotes South American Unity at Brasilia Summit
Orinoco Tribune, May 30, 2023 —
On Tuesday, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, presented 10 proposals for the future of the region to the 10 leaders who attended the summit of South American presidents in Brasilia.
Lula was responsible for opening the cycle of speeches at the Summit of Presidents that was held this Tuesday, May 30. During his speech, he pronounced himself strongly in favor of unity and presented 10 proposals to strengthen rapprochement in economic, cultural, and social matters.
“What unites us today, in Brasilia, is the sense of urgency to collectively look towards our region,” said Lula, “the determination to redefine a common vision and relaunch decisive actions for sustainable development, peace and the well-being of our peoples.”
President Lula proposed creating a high-level group with personal representatives of all the presidents to create a new integration process in South America.
Through his Twitter account, Lula explained the proposals he made to his Latin American counterparts.
Among the proposals were regional investments at the service of economic and social development, mobilizing development banks such as CAF, Fonplata, Banco do Sul, and BANDES.
In addition, Lula expressed his support for the deepening of South American idenpendence and sovereignty in the monetary field through more efficient compensation mechanisms and the creation of a common reference currency for trade. This would reduce the dependence on extra-regional currencies such as the US dollar.
In a statement posted on his social media accounts, Lula encouraged the nations of the region to “deepen our South American identity … in the monetary sphere, through more efficient compensation mechanisms and create a common reference unit for trade, reducing the dependence on extra-regional currencies.”
In addition, President Lula urged regulatory convergence and the reduction of bureaucracy in the export and import goods.
The president suggested expanding the latest generation of cooperation mechanisms, involving services, investment, electronic commerce, and competition policies.
He asked that the project portfolio of the South American Council for Infrastructure and Planning (Cosiplan) be updated, reinforcing multimodality and prioritizing high-impact projects for physical and digital integration.
Among other issues, the president called for the reactivation of the South American Institute of Government in Health, comprising measures to expand vaccination coverage and strengthen the industrial health complex. In addition, Lula encouraged the initiation of discussions regarding the constitution of a shared South American energy market which can ensure the supply and efficient use of resources, legal stability, and fair prices.
The Brazilian head of state called for the resumption of cooperation in the area of defense, with the aim of providing the region with greater capacity for education and training through the exchange of experiences and knowledge in military affairs.
Participating heads of state
The meeting between 10 presidents of the region was held at the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, with the aim of addressing various issues.
The meeting called by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was attended by the Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and his counterparts Luis Arce (Bolivia), Gabriel Boric (Chile), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), and Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador).
They were joined by Chan Santokhi (Suriname), Luis Lacalle Pou (Uruguay), Alberto Fernández (Argentina), Irfaan Ali (Guayana), and Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay). Peruvian de facto regime only sent its head of cabinet, alleging difficulties for Dina Boluarte to obtain parliamentary approval, although it was the Peruvian parliament—via a parliamentary coup—that installed her in power.