Lula to attend CELAC summit in Colombia
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will travel to Bogotá, Colombia, on Friday evening (Mar. 20) to attend the 10th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), scheduled for Saturday (21). Representatives from African countries are also expected to participate as guests.
Topics such as food and energy security, as well as regional tensions, may be addressed at the event.
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ambassador Gisela Padovan, said Lula’s presence at the meeting confirms the country’s commitment to regional integration.
“Especially in today’s world, where unilateralism and coercive measures are proliferating, we believe that maintaining a regional space for dialogue is very important,” the ambassador said on Wednesday (18).
Tensions
The secretary added that one of the items to be included in the final declaration, as advocated by the Brazilian government, is to reaffirm the region as a zone of peace. At the same time, there is still no indication of how CELAC will address the situation in Cuba.
“We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation of the Cuban population. Therefore, we are making donations of medicines and food,” said Padovan.
The Brazilian ministry reported that a donation of 20,000 tons of paddy rice, 200 tons of milled rice, 150 tons of beans, and 500 tons of powdered milk is planned. “These are community donations being made through the World Food Programme.”
Trade flows
CELAC brings together 33 countries that, collectively, cover 20 million square kilometers and have a population of 650 million. Brazil’s trade with the region totals BRL 100 billion, exceeding its trade with the European Union and the United States and comparable only to China. “Latin America and the Caribbean account for 40 percent of our manufactured exports,” the ministry said.
The ambassador also noted that the countries form an agri-food powerhouse: “Latin America and the Caribbean produce enough food for three times their population. Therefore, we are major exporters.”
At the meeting, the CELAC presidency will pass from Colombia to Uruguay, which will present the priorities of its term. According to the ambassador, there will also be an assessment of concrete initiatives, such as the summit’s food and nutritional security plan.
