South American leaders sent a joint letter to the Argentine newspaper “Perfil” the day before the PT’s visit to the country
the presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from Brazil, and Alberto Fernández, from Argentina, released a joint letter extolling the diplomatic and commercial relationship between the two countries. The publication was made by the Argentine newspaper “Profile” on Saturday night (21.jan.2023), the day before the visit of the Brazilian president to the country.
In the letter, the South American leaders mention Lula’s presence at the 7th Summit of Celac (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and claim that the event “will mark the return of Brazil to this mechanism of dialogue and regional consultation”.
Lula and Fernández highlighted common issues that need to be discussed and analyzed between the two largest economies in South America. Among them, the reindustrialization, job creation of “quality” and investment in technological innovation.
The presidents also spoke about the role of countries in the global supply chain. “We are committed to providing our agriculture and livestock with high standards of sustainability and maintaining high levels of productivity”says an excerpt from the joint letter.
The single currency for South American countries was also mentioned by presidents. In the letter, they say they agreed to move forward in discussions for the creation of the currency. The measure, according to the leaders, could lower operating costs and reduce dependence on the dollar.
Lula arrives this Sunday in Buenos Aires for a series of bilateral meetings with countries in South America. He will also visit Montevideo, Uruguay, on Wednesday (25.jan.2023).
This is the Chief Executive’s 1st international trip after taking office on January 1st. Since he was elected, in October last year, Lula had already indicated that he would prioritize a visit to Argentina. He even promised the trip before the inauguration, but postponed the trip to January.
Argentina was strategic in the first 2 PT administrations (2003 to 2010) and one of the most visited countries by Lula. In 2002, he chose the neighboring country for his 1st trip as president-elect. The petista went to the country on December 2 of that year. In January 2003, the then president of Argentina, Eduardo Duhalde, visited Brazil.
This week’s visit is classified by the Itamaraty as a resumption of Brazil’s relationship with neighboring countries after the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Read the full translation of the joint letter:
“Two sister nations meet again. Tomorrow [22.jan] we will meet in Buenos Aires for the 1st presidential meeting between Brazil and Argentina in over 3 years. Then, the 7th CELAC Summit will take place, a forum that brings together the 33 countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region and which, since last year, has been under the presidency of Argentina. The event will mark Brazil’s return to this regional dialogue and consultation mechanism. A relationship that should never have been interrupted and that the history of the Latin American brotherhood manages to resume.
“Both meetings mark a new beginning, precisely in the year in which we will celebrate the bicentennial of our diplomatic relations. In Buenos Aires, we will relaunch the bilateral strategic alliance with the reactivation of various cooperation and dialogue spaces. There are multiple areas in which we will work together again on important issues for the quality of life of our populations, such as the fight against hunger and poverty, health, education, sustainable development, climate change and the reduction of all forms of inequality. Once and for all, history will be written by our peoples.
“We are going to strengthen the role of civil society, state and municipal governments and parliaments as actors in this approximation. We know that the dream of being united is now a possible reality.
“The ties between Argentina and Brazil are based on the consolidation of peace and democracy. We want democracy forever. Dictatorship no more.
“The reindustrialization of our economies will deserve special attention, with the generation of quality jobs and investment in innovation. Trade between Argentina and Brazil already has a high share of industrialized products in strategic sectors. Integration between our production chains helps mitigate external shocks, such as those that occurred during the pandemic. We cannot depend on external suppliers in order to have access to essential inputs and goods for the well-being of our populations.
“We have a dynamic and enterprising private sector, whose contribution to the bilateral integration process is increasingly necessary. We share the firm intention of strengthening the already solid trade and investment ties between our countries and we will promote a business seminar as part of the presidential visit.
“Our countries will continue to play a critical role for food security in a world plagued by geopolitical risks and severe supply chain disruptions. We are committed to providing our agriculture and livestock with high standards of sustainability and maintaining high levels of productivity.
“We want to promote projects in the area of infrastructure. A central theme of this new moment is energy integration. The electrical interconnection between our countries is already a reality and the integration of gas has the potential to become one of the strategic projects of the bilateral relationship, with lasting benefits in terms of attracting investment, job creation and in terms of our security.
“We will consolidate our position as holders of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, strengthening the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials and giving continuity to ambitious projects such as the multipurpose reactor. With the reactivation of the Space Cooperation Joint Working Group, we will put satellites into orbit to carry out coastal and oceanographic studies.
“The fluid and dynamic relationship between Brazil and Argentina is essential for advancing regional integration. Together with our partners, we want Mercosur to constitute a platform for our effective integration with the world, through the joint negotiation of balanced trade agreements that respond to our strategic development objectives.
“We intend to break down the barriers in our exchanges, simplify and modernize the rules and encourage the use of local currencies. We also decided to advance discussions on a common South American currency that can be used for both financial and commercial flows, reducing operating costs and our external vulnerability.
“We will work together to rescue and update Unasur, based on its undeniable legacy of achievements. Argentina and Brazil are firmly committed to building a strong, democratic, stable and peaceful South America.
“We need to face an increasingly complex and challenging world and we have broad convergence in the multilateral agenda. There is a lack of effective political will to face the current dilemmas and major crises: climate change, pandemics, wars, hunger and immigration. The UN and the G20 must help fill this leadership gap to bring about change. Both forums can promote inclusive agendas, clearly signaling the actions of organizations such as the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. We will work together for peace and development.
“The more just and supportive world we aspire to will only be viable if we have the courage to build our future together. This is the strategic significance of bilateral integration.
“There is nothing more emancipating than the brotherhood of peoples who come from the dawn of our history to take possession of their future.”
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