Lula: Argentina’s president should apologize to Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Wednesday (Jun. 26) that the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, should apologize to Brazil. In his view, the president of the neighboring country “spoke a lot of nonsense” about him and Brazil.

Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” was elected in a conservative coalition and represents extreme economic liberalism. During his campaign, he openly criticized President Lula and threatened to cut relations with Brazil.

Argentina is Brazil’s main trading partner in South America, but Presidents Lula and Milei have yet to meet since the Argentinian’s inauguration in December last year, when Brazil was represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

“I haven’t talk to the president of Argentina because I think he has to apologize to Brazil and to me. He spoke a lot of nonsense. I just want him to apologize. Argentina is a country I like very much; it’s a really important country for Brazil; Brazil is very important for Argentina. And it’s not a president who is going to create a rift between Brazil and Argentina,” President Lula said in a Wednesday interview with Portal Uol.

Diplomacy

Relations are still going strong. In April, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira received Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino on her first official visit to Brasília since President Milei took office. During the meeting, they discussed issues such as physical border infrastructure, cooperation in energy and defense, improving the Paraguay–Paraná Waterway, and strengthening Mercosur and regional integration processes.

Fugitives of January 8

Another topic on the table for the authorities of both nations is the fugitives of January 8. Last week, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry received from the Argentine government a list of names of Brazilians under precautionary measures for participating in the attempted coup of January 8, 2023, in Brasília, who are on the run in the neighboring country. The document was sent to the Supreme Court, which asked the Foreign Ministry to consult the Argentine government.

President Lula advocates that those who have been convicted should be extradited or serve their sentences in Argentina. The issue, the president said, is being dealt with “in the most diplomatic way possible.”

The procedures for a possible extradition to Brazil depend on a formal request by the Judiciary and are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. As far as international legal cooperation is concerned, the Foreign Ministry acts as a supporting body in the processing of documents.

Earlier this month, the Federal Police carried out an operation to serve arrest warrants on hundreds of people investigated for their involvement in the invasion and ransacking of major government headquarters. The targets are fugitives or individuals who have failed to comply with precautionary measures ordered by the Supreme Court, including those who have broken electronic ankle tag and fled to countries such as Argentina and Uruguay. Sentenced to more than ten years in prison, they are appealing their convictions. At least 50 people have been arrested. The police are still looking for another 159 convicts or suspects who are considered fugitives.