Mercosur: Lula criticizes “old‑fashioned, isolationist nationalism”
Speaking at the Mercosur summit meeting in Paraguay on Monday (Jul. 8), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized what he called “old-fashioned, isolationist nationalism.” “In a globalized world, it makes no sense to resort to old-fashioned, isolationist nationalism. Nor is there any justification for reviving ultraliberal experiments that have only exacerbated inequalities in our region,” he declared.
The president noted this is the 19th Mercosur summit he has attended as head of state. “We have never faced so many challenges, both regionally and globally,” he added.
“In a context of heightened geostrategic competition, the question is whether our countries are willing to integrate into the world together or separately. I see no contradiction between participating in the global economy and cooperating among neighbors. My commitment to Mercosur as a platform for Brazil’s international integration and development remains unwavering. Our bloc is an ambitious project that has borne much fruit since its inception,” he stated.
President Lula pointed out that trade between countries in the region has multiplied tenfold in recent years and currently totals $49 billion. “We need to think big, as our predecessors dared to do in this capital 33 years ago. Mercosur will be what we make it to be. We shouldn’t make it smaller with simplistic proposals that weaken it institutionally. Our efforts to update it must point in another direction.”
Democracy
Mentioning the attempted coup in Bolivia last month and the extremist riots in Brazil in January 2023, President Lula said that “there are no shortcuts to democracy in the region, but we must remain vigilant.” “False democrats are trying to undermine institutions and put them at the service of reactionary interests. As long as our region remains among the most unequal in the world, political stability will remain under threat,” he said.
He also commented on the incorporation of Bolivia as a sixth member of Mercosur. “Bolivia’s full membership has enormous strategic value and makes our bloc an indispensable player in the context of the energy transition. We are rich in mineral resources and have abundant sources of clean and cheap energy. We have everything it takes to become an important link in the chain of semiconductors, batteries, and solar panels.”
“We can form an alliance with producers of critical minerals so that the benefits of processing these resources stay in our countries,” he went on to say.
Climate crisis
Also as part of his address at the Mercosur summit gathering, the Brazilian president said that Latin American nations should lead the discussion on combating climate change, citing the floods that devastated Rio Grande do Sul state about two months ago. “The climate crisis is quickly bringing us closer to a catastrophic scenario,” he noted.
“In addition to thanking the solidarity of all Mercosur members who have promptly offered the most diverse types of humanitarian aid, I’d like to make a call for greater climate engagement and ambition. Mercosur’s adherence, at this summit, to the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in comprehensive disaster risk management is timely. We are the continent with the largest rainforest and the largest freshwater reserves in the world,” he stated.
