President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said he hopes to welcome Venezuela back to Mercosur “quickly”. The statement was made during a speech alongside Bolivian President Luis Arce on Tuesday (9).
“The smooth functioning of Mercosur, which is pleased to now welcome Bolivia as a full member, contributes to common prosperity. We also hope to be able to welcome Venezuela back very quickly,” he highlighted.
The Brazilian president also addressed the Venezuelan presidential elections, scheduled for July 28.
“The normalization of Venezuelan political life means stability for all of South America. Therefore, we hope that the elections will be held peacefully and that the result will be recognized by all,” he stressed.
Politicians in the South American country have denounced the arrests of opposition members, as well as government measures regarding the elections. In addition, the main opposition leader has been barred from running.
Lula also commented that integration with Bolivia is very important and highlighted that he invited Bolivia to participate in the G20 Summit, which will take place in November, and to join the Global Alliance to Fight Hunger and Poverty, which will be launched by the Brazilian Presidency.
“We cannot tolerate coups”, says Lula
Lula also mentioned the attacks on Brazil’s three branches of government during his speech, highlighting that the country went through one of the “darkest moments in its history” in 2022, the year of the bicentennial of independence, being taken over by a “wave of extremism that culminated on January 8th”.
The PT member then addressed the failed coup attempt in Bolivia on June 26.
“On the eve of celebrating its bicentennial in 2025, Bolivia cannot fall into this trap again. We cannot tolerate authoritarian fantasies and coups,” he commented.
“We have the enormous responsibility of defending democracy against attempts to set it back,” he concluded.
Lula then said that the disunity of democratic forces around the world “has only served the extreme right”, citing the elections in France and the United Kingdom.
In France, the left managed to defy the electoral polls and won the largest number of seats in Parliament, partly blocking the rise of the far right to power.
Bolivia in BRICS
According to Lula, Luis Arce expressed interest in Bolivia joining BRICS.
The PT member stressed that he sees a possible entry of the neighboring country into the bloc as “very positive”, as do other nations in the region.
“The issue of expanding the group will continue to be discussed at the Kazan Summit in Russia in October,” he commented.
Source: CNN Brasil
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