President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, discussed the elections that will take place in the neighboring country in the second half of this year during the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac). The event takes place in Kigstown, in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to Planalto, the Venezuelan leader said he had articulated a “broad agreement with opposition parties in the National Assembly” and stated that there will be international observers to guarantee the smoothness of the electoral process.
The issue of Essequibo, a region of Guyana claimed by Venezuela, which held a referendum last December to discuss the incorporation of the territory, was not discussed by Lula and Maduro, as disclosed by the Brazilian government.
“The region is the target of a territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. The Brazilian president had already expressed on Thursday (29) that the topic can be debated later, in a more appropriate forum, and that Brazil will always be available to contribute to the perspective of promoting and maintaining peace on the continent”, reported Planalto .
To journalists, Maduro classified the conversation with Lula as “very good”. As the Venezuelan leader mentioned, the dialogue served to “strengthen cooperation” between the countries.
Lula and president of Bolivia discuss investments and projects
In addition to the meeting with Maduro at Celac, Lula also met with the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, to discuss the expansion of trade and the range of products between the countries, such as Bolivia's interest in importing Brazilian food, according to Planalto . Both also addressed the issue of fertilizer production.
Another highlight of the meeting between the heads of state was the investment in gas and infrastructure works for the integration between Brazil and Bolivia, such as the construction of the bridge that will connect Guajará-Mirim, in Rondônia, to Guayaramerín, in Bolivia.
The possibility of investment by Petrobras in gas prospecting in Bolivian territory, in addition to Bolivia's interest in partnership with Brazil for the possible exploration of lithium, a mineral used mainly in the production of batteries and found on a large scale in Bolivia, was also discussed at the presidents' agenda.
Source: CNN Brasil

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