Posted on 20230123 4:59 PM / Updated on 20230123 5:04 PM
(Credit: Luis ROBAYO/AFP)
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) defended this Monday (23/01) that Venezuela’s “problem” would be solved through dialogue and that the country would be treated normally. Lula had scheduled a meeting with President Nicolás Maduro today, but Venezuela canceled the agenda for security reasons.
The head of Brazil’s executive branch preached that the country would resume diplomatic relations with Venezuela. “We will solve it with dialogue, not with a blockade. We will solve it with dialogue and not with the threat of an occupation. We will solve it with dialogue and not with personal offenses,” the head told the Brazilian executive.
“We want Venezuela to have an embassy in Brazil, Brazil to have an embassy in Venezuela and we will restore civilized relations between two autonomous, free and independent states,” he added. Lula has already sent a diplomatic mission to Caracas to arrange for the reopening of the Brazilian embassy in the country, which has been closed since March 2020, on the initiative of the previous government.
The Petista stressed that he “wants the same for Brazil as he wants for Venezuela”. “We have done it before, we will do it again, and Venezuela will be treated normally again, as all countries want to be treated. What I want for Brazil, I want for Venezuela: respect for the sovereignty and selfdetermination of my people.”
Lula also criticized Venezuela’s former interim president Juan Guaidó. “I see a lot of people asking Maduro for understanding. These people forget that they did something heinous for democracy, which was to recognize a man who wasn’t president, wasn’t elected, which was Guaidó. Role of president, without president And I keep asking myself: “Who is wrong?” We have to keep two things in mind: that the selfdetermination of the peoples is respected in all countries, just as I am against the occupied territory that Russia formed with Ukraine “I am against strong interference in Venezuela’s process,” he said, “I hope Venezuela and Cuba do what they want and we don’t have to interfere.”
“Diplomatic normality”
When asked about an agenda scheduled for today with Maduro in Argentina, which was canceled hours earlier, he said the call should be saved for “another occasion”. Lula also spoke about the uncertainty of the Venezuelan leader’s presence at the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which will be held tomorrow. He also stressed that Brazil “does not want enmity with any country” and hopes the two nations will have resolved “diplomatic normality” within two months.
“I don’t know if he’s coming. I had an audience with him at 4 p.m. but was told that he might not come, he will wait for another opportunity. I hope that in two months we will have resolved diplomatic normalcy with Venezuela, that in a few months it will recover economically, that the Venezuelan people outside of Venezuela can return to Venezuela, and the Brazilian people that are in Venezuela can return to Brazil can return. But the concrete thing is that Brazil doesn’t want enmity with any country and if we can make agreements within each country, we will help. Brazil plays an important role in this.”
Regarding Cuba, he defended the end of the economic blockades. “I hope that Cuba can soon return to a process of normality, that the blockade of Cuba, which has been going on without need for more than 60 years, will end. Cubans don’t want to copy the Brazilian model, they don’t want to copy the American model. You want to build your model and who has to do with it? Brazil and the countries that make up Celac must treat Venezuela and Cuba with great care.”
The statements came during a joint press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, along with President Alberto Fernández. Lula also demanded that the neighboring country not allow the far right to hold the presidency.
“I hope Argentina doesn’t allow the far right to win the elections because the far right hasn’t worked in any country it governs. I hope that the intelligence of the Argentine people will not allow an electoral disaster to happen here in Argentina,” he concluded.
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