South America ventilates its differences on Venezuela but firm commitment to integration

South America vented in Brasilia all their differences, especially those that concern Venezuelaat a regional summit convened by the president Brazilian, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvawhich resulted in a firm commitment to integration.

The result of this regional summit, the first of its kind in nine years, was released in a declaration called “Brasilia consensus” which, as a main point, includes an agreement between the twelve countries of the region to develop a “Roadmap” for South American integration, stagnant in the last decade.

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The summit was attended by the presidents of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez; bolivian, Luis Arce; Chili, gabriel boric; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Ecuador, William Lasso; guyana, irfaan ali; Paraguayan, Mario Abdo Benitez; Surinam, chan santokhi; Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pouand Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro; and Peru was represented by the President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola.

The “Roadmap“It will be prepared in 120 days by a group made up of the foreign ministers and must outline the main lines of a plan to promote trade and investment, overcome asymmetries, eliminate unilateral measures and increase economic cooperation, all with the goal of achieving a”effective South American Free Trade Area”.

Likewise, it should promote cooperation in various areas, such as health, the environment, defense, infrastructure, energy, border security, digital transformation and the fight against transnational crime.

Venezuela, the disagreements and an “indiscretion” by Lacalle Pou

The “Brasilia Consensus” includes, in the second of its nine points, a commitment “with democracy and human rights, sustainable development and social justice, the rule of law and institutional stability, the defense of sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs”.

This point aroused resentment in the Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, who, in his first speech at the summit, said that this article did not fully reflect the Venezuelan situation.

“Obviously, we don’t have the same definition, which I think is one in which Royal Spanish Academyof what are respect for institutions, human rights and democracy”, affirmed the Uruguayan president in a video posted on his Instagram profile.

Lacalle Pou also protested to Lula, who the day before, in a bilateral meeting with Maduro, described as “narratives” criticisms of the lack of democracy or violations of human rights in Venezuela.

The Uruguayan conservative leader said he felt “surprised” with that qualification and was supported by the Chilean socialist Gabriel Boric, a critic of Maduro, who maintained that what happens in Venezuela it is not a “narrative construction“, but “a serious reality”.

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Brazilian sources consulted by EFE considered the dissemination of this video as a “indiscretion” by Lacalle Pou in a summit held behind closed doors, but they assured that it did not go bankrupt either “the spirit“of an appointment called to discuss”all differences” and “identify matches”.

On this matter, Lula declared in the final press conference of the summit that “It is not possible that there is not a minimum of democracy in Venezuela”, since the chavismo It has called almost thirty elections in the last twenty years and, although it has won almost all of them, it has lost others.

Still, he assured that Brazil will do”whatever you can to contribute to the strengthening of democracy in Venezuela”.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.