Brazilian President Lula da Silva will have his first meeting today with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, at the White House, where they will have the opportunity to boost the bilateral relationship with a focus on democracy, environment and human rights.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to Washington on Thursday, but his official agenda begins today, with a meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders, followed by meetings with other congressmen from the Democratic party and with a group of trade unionists, which will follow the meeting with Biden at the White House.
Lula da Silva’s entourage is made up of the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, of Finance, Fernando Haddad, of the Environment, Marina Silva, of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, in addition to the executive secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Marcio Elias Rosa, Special Adviser Celso Amorim, and Senator Jaques Wagner.
One of the main points on the agenda is the fact that Brazil and the United States of America (USA) face similar challenges linked to political radicalization and hate speech in the virtual space, which will be one of the approaches in what is Lula’s first visit da Silva to Washington since assuming his third term in January.
In both countries, the radical extreme right has shown its most violent face through attacks carried out in Washington and Brasilia.
On January 06, 2021, just days before Biden’s inauguration, supporters of former US President Donald Trump invaded the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the Democrat’s victory.
Already on January 8 of this year, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked the three powers in Brasília, in an attempt to provoke a coup against Lula da Silva, who had taken office on the first day of the year.
According to official sources, sustainable development and the fight against climate change will also be at the center of the agenda, with a focus on strengthening public-private partnerships and new investments in terms of energy transition.
The meeting between Biden and Lula da Silva also aims to boost cooperation in human rights, with emphasis on the fight against discrimination and the promotion and defense of ethnic and racial equality, in addition to the integration of the two million Brazilians living in the USA, the largest Brazilian community abroad.
Among the objectives of the visit is also the strengthening of trade and investment relations between the two powers, taking into account that the US is Brazil’s second largest trading partner and the main destination for exports of industrialized products, according to data from the Brazilian Government.
“The US is the main source of foreign direct investment in the country, Brazil’s second largest trading partner, the main destination for Brazilian exports of manufactured products, in addition to having companies in the Brazilian market for over a hundred years”, stressed the executive by Lula da Silva in a statement.
The presidents should also discuss topics on the regional and global agenda, such as peace and security, food security and the modernization of international governance.
Lula da Silva has scheduled his return to Brazil on Saturday.
*With Lusa
