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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shaking hands with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at the Planalto Palace, Brasília, during a press conference following an extended meeting marking the resumption of full diplomatic relations between the two countries. Photo: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil.
This Monday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that he supports Venezuela joining BRICS in response to a question asked at the press conference after his meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at the Planalto Palace in Brasília. BRICS is currently comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“If you ask me what I think, I would say that I am in favor,” President Lula said in response to Venezuela’s proposed BRICS membership, later clarifying that this decision should be made by the five countries belonging to the alliance.
In this regard, the Brazilian president said that there will soon be a BRICS summit, the first official meeting after eight years. He added that there are requests from other countries wishing to join the group, saying, “We will discuss this because it depends not only on Brazil’s will but on everyone’s.”
Brazilian President Lula stated that his dream is for the BRICS countries to have a common currency so that their economies no longer depend on the US dollar for foreign trade. At the press conference, Lula said they must “have more freedom to conduct our business. I dream of BRICS having their own currency like the European Union has the euro.”
As an example of the consequences of having the dollar as the only currency for international trade, he cited Venezuela and the US sanctions against the country. According to Lula, Venezuela could carry out its trade with currencies from other countries.
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“This is the United States’ fault. It has imposed a fierce blockade,” said Lula. “I can only say that blockades are worse than wars. In wars, soldiers die on the battlefield, but we are talking about a blockade, children die, women die, elderly people die, they have no relation to political disputes.”
For this reason, President Lula said he will promote “the construction of an economic bloc” that will allow the de-dollarization of the South American economies during the South American Summit on May 30 in Brasília.
United South America
For his part, President Maduro pointed out that the emerging multipolar world requires a South America united in its ideological and political diversity.
“We cannot allow intolerant, exclusive, or extremist ideologies to prevail,” he stated. “On this basis, it will never be possible to build the union in the necessary diversity of our America, the giant dream of the Liberator Simón Bolívar.”
Maduro stated that Venezuela’s intention to join BRICS stems from its desire to participate in constructing the new international economic order.
“Venezuela would like to be part of BRICS and accompany the construction of this new architecture, of the new world that is already being born,” said President Nicolás Maduro.
“The new geopolitics is characterized by two elements: the unity of our America in diversity and the role of BRICS, emerging as the great magnet for countries that want cooperation,” said Maduro from Brazil.
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“For centuries and centuries, the peoples of South America have been ignored. That is why we are working on the construction of a new global geopolitics where the union of Latin America as a single people prevails,” he added.
In the same context, Lula da Silva stressed the importance of political agreement when defining the new paths of South American integration.
“Tomorrow, from Brazil, we want to strengthen and resume relations with the democracies to renew economic policies and for everyone to return to their country with proposals to consolidate the development of South America,” said Lula, referring to the South American presidential summit beginning on Tuesday, May 30, in Brasília.
Energy cooperation
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed strong interest in recovering energy relations with Venezuela, hoping to resume electricity supply through the Guri hydroelectric dam to the Brazilian state of Roraima.
“The Guri line has to work again because nothing justifies Roraima being the only state that does not belong to the Brazilian energy matrix and that operates with thermoelectric plants, a much more expensive energy source that pollutes much more. Yes, we can import energy,” Lula said.
For years, Venezuela provided electricity to the northern region of Brazil, geographically separated from the rest of the country by the Amazon jungle. As a result of the isolation promoted by former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and the Venezuelan economic crisis caused by the US and European blockade, the service was halted in recent years while Venezuela experienced a severe deterioration of the electricity service.
President Maduro complemented Lula’s statement noting that the capacity to provide Roraima with electricity exists and that only a small investment is needed to repair transmission lines. He also pointed out that the energy ministers of both countries will talk as soon as possible to find a solution to this situation.
Many analysts in Venezuela viewed this announcement cautiously, considering the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the Venezuelan electricity grid and recent forecasts predicting a long drought due to the El Nino atmospheric phenomenon.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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