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President Jair Bolsonaro defended Brazil’s environmental policies in relation to the Amazon, spoke about tensions between Russia and Ukraine and highlighted the conservative values he has in common with the Hungarian government during his meeting with the country’s leaders, the prime minister. Viktor Orbán and President János Áder, this Thursday (17), in Budapest.
Bolsonaro has a strong connection with Orbán, whom he considers a “brother”, due to the conservative agenda they share: defense of the family, life, religious freedom and against gender ideology and LGBT causes. Alongside the Hungarian prime minister for a statement to the press, the Brazilian president said that both share “in the defense of the family with great emphasis”. “A well-structured family makes its society healthy and we should not lose that focus,” Bolsonaro said.
The visit to Budapest is being considered by Brazilian analysts as a nod from President Bolsonaro to the more conservative electorate and a way of showing that he is not isolated on the international stage. Even the visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen in this context. On Wednesday (16), in a press conference with the Russian host, Bolsonaro said that both have values in common: “the belief in God and the defense of the family”.
“War is in nobody’s interest”, says the president
In addition to this agenda, the two heads of government talked about the security crisis between Russia and Ukraine, a concern of Hungary due to its location in Eastern Europe – the country borders Ukraine and is interested in increasing Russian gas imports in order to to avoid rising energy costs. “We exchanged information about the possibility or not of a war between Russia and Ukraine and I passed it on to him. [Orbán] the feeling I had from this trip [a Moscou]”, he stated.
Bolsonaro again stressed that part of the Russian troops on the border with Ukraine were demobilized when the Brazilian delegation was traveling to the Russian capital on Tuesday. “I understand, whether it’s a coincidence or not, as a gesture that the war is in nobody’s interest and it’s not in the world’s interest that two countries go to war because it loses everyone.”
Bolsonaro speaks of “disinformation” about the Amazon
The conversation with the Hungarian president, however, went the other way. Bolsonaro was questioned by Áder about Brazil’s environmental policies to protect the Amazon rainforest.
“Often information about this region arrives outside Brazil in a very distorted way, as if we were the great villains when it comes to forest preservation and destruction, which does not exist”, complained the Brazilian head of state, stating that he had the opportunity to clarify this point with Áder. “This misinformation is an attack on our economy, which obviously comes partly from agribusiness. [europeu]”.
In addition to the statements, during the official visit, memoranda of understanding were signed on cooperation in the field of defense, humanitarian actions and management of water resources and water sanitation. “The passage is fast, but it leaves a great legacy for our peoples”, concludes Bolsonaro, who will meet with the president of the Hungarian National Assembly, László Köver, before returning to Brazil.
Relations with Hungary
Bolsonaro took advantage of his trip to Russia to stop in Hungary, an eastern European country led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, considered by some analysts to be a great conservative exponent of the old continent, but accused by his peers in the European Union of having led a deterioration of democracy in the country.
But the common interests go beyond the customs agenda. Recently, Hungary signed a US$ 300 million contract for the purchase of two multi-mission military transport aircraft produced by Embraer, the KC-390, which should be delivered to the Hungarian air force in 2024. This Thursday’s visit sought to deepen this cooperation in defense , science and technology between countries.
Added to this is the fact that Hungary, like Brazil, is in favor of approving the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union – which is mainly resisted by France and Germany -, and also supports Brazil’s entry into the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the club of rich countries to which Hungary is a member.
Read: Conservative in morals, statist in the economy and friend of Russia: Orbán’s Hungary
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