The visit of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to Brazil to attend the meeting of South American leaders convened by his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the strengthening of ties were highlights of the week that ended.
The Bolivarian ruler’s trip to Brasilia after eight years, the bilateral meeting with Lula and the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia, and the consensus document reached at the meeting raised hopes for unity and integration within the subcontinent’s diversity.
#Live 📹 | president @NicolasMaduro he is received with distinction at the Planalto Palace.https://t.co/gbEm92pMaB
— Presidential Press (@PresidencialVen) May 29, 2023
Indeed, Maduro considered the meeting with the Brazilian host to be “historic, transcendental and a victory for the dignity of our peoples”.
Once again South America meets, gathers and reflects on the path of integration and unification, the President affirmed on his return to Caracas, noting that he had witnessed a “good debate, rich in culture and proposals”.
My meeting with the President @LulaOficialrepresents a historical, transcendent fact and a victory for the dignity of our peoples. Saving and reviving the union between Brazil and Venezuela is the right path that will lead us to the development and integration of… pic.twitter.com/dH1pPbVbBr
— Nicolas Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) May 29, 2023
He said the summit, attended by 11 of South America’s 12 presidents, excluding Peru, was “a sure step in the right direction.”
He emphasized that the two days in Brazil are great and exceptional for the historic project of cooperation and common development.
In Brazil, the so-called “Brasilia Consensus” was reached, and from the Bolivarian Republic we have said that this consensus is the best starting point to return to the path of integration and the necessary, independent and sovereign union of our South America. he commented.
This document, in its nine points, reaffirmed the shared vision that South America is a region of peace and cooperation, based on dialogue and respect for the diversity of our peoples, committed to democracy and human rights, sustainable development and social justice.
Likewise in the area of the rule of law and institutional stability, the defense of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.
The dignitaries at the South American summit also agreed that regional integration must be part of the solutions to meet the common challenges of building a peaceful world, strengthening democracy and promoting economic and social development.
As part of restoring ties, the governments of Venezuela and Brazil signed strategic agreements for the development of both nations with separate memoranda of understanding.
One on agri-food issues and the other on setting up the monitoring and follow-up mechanism of the bilateral cooperation programme, and leaving the way open for progress on border security programmes, including energy and oil cooperation.
The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Colombia, in the presence of Maduro and Gustavo Petro, signed an agreement establishing the Neighborhood and Integration Commission between the two countries.