President Lula da Silva endorses Venezuela joining BRICS group

After eight years, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is returning to Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed at the end of the extended meeting of the two heads of state in Brasilia (capital).

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The Venezuelan President is received with honors at the Planalto Palace

Lula stressed the ties between Brazil and Venezuela that existed before Jair Bolsonaro came to power and that economic and trade ties with Caracas collapsed during the far-right politician’s government.

“I am in favor of Venezuela integrating the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). We’ll be meeting soon and need to consider various integration requests,” Lula said.

The Brazilian President expressed confidence that both nations would restore trade ties while strengthening their cultural, scientific and educational ties, as well as military security at the border.

Both leaders held a press conference in front of national and foreign media after the historic meeting at the Planalto Palace.

President Maduro, who is paying a state visit as part of the South American leaders’ summit in Brasilia on May 30, said that a new era is dawning in Venezuela-Brazil relations.

He recalled that an extremist model according to right-wing ideology has been and continues to be applied to Venezuela. From Brazil, all doors and windows were closed and an invasion attempt was made, acknowledging a non-existent government, he added.

“Hopefully nobody ever closes the doors between Brazil and Venezuela again,” President Maduro said. He also reiterated that his country is ready to accept investment and business from Brazilian businessmen.

He also pointed out that Venezuela’s intention to become part of this entity stems from its desire to participate in building a new international economic policy.

The Venezuelan head of state pointed out that “the new geopolitics are characterized by two elements: the unity of our America in diversity and the role of the Brics states, which are becoming the great magnet for countries wishing to work together.”

“Forever and ever the peoples of South America have been denied, so we are working to build a new global geopolitics in which the unification of Latin America as a single people prevails,” said the Venezuelan President.

Earlier, the Presidents chaired a high-level meeting at the Planalto Palace as part of a broad agenda for cooperation.

The central axes of this journey are to create alliances in the fields of science and technology, agriculture, transport, energy, aquaculture and fisheries, eco-socialism, tourism and culture.

In this sense, the expanded meeting aims to strengthen the deep friendship and commitment to further dynamic cooperation, to promote and elevate strategic cooperation for the benefit of both peoples at the highest level.

Attending this meeting on behalf of Venezuela are: Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez; the Minister of Oil, Pedro Tellechea; Agriculture and Country, Wilmar Castro Soteldo; Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez; Office of the President, Jorge Márquez; Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil; and Ecosocialismo, Josué Lorca, who will also discuss the map of collaboration featuring Venezuela and Brazil.

Participating on the Brazilian side are: Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin; Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira; from the Ministry of Finance, Fernando Haddad; for Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro; for Mining and Energy, Alexandre Silveira; for Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, and Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva.

Venezuela and Brazil have reiterated their willingness to advance a work agenda for the benefit of both peoples, which began on January 1 following the resumption of diplomatic ties following the inauguration of President Lula da Silva.