South American leaders united around Lula for the first time since 2014

This is the first meeting of this type since 2014. The left-wing president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, receives his South American counterparts in Brasilia on Tuesday May 30 during a flash summit. The objective is clear: to try to tighten the bonds which had been distended because of ideological divergences and internal crises. In total, 11 heads of state will meet in the Brazilian capital. Only the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, is missing.

It has also been eight years since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last visited Brazil. Lula called Monday a“historical”after a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, the return to grace of the one who was persona non grata in Brasilia under the mandate of the far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.

“Restart the dialogue”

Tuesday’s summit was envisioned by Lula as a relatively informal, closed-door meeting with no guarantee of a final statement. For Gisela Maria Figueiredo, responsible for relations with Latin America and the Caribbean of the Brazilian government, the main objective and “restart the dialogue” to find “a common vision” in areas such as health, infrastructure, energy, the environment and the fight against organized crime.