Global Courant
MEXICO CITY
Latin American leaders met in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, on Tuesday to celebrate President Alberto Fernandez’s handover of Mercosur’s interim presidency to his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as doubts surfaced in the trade bloc.
Lula, who will head Mercosur for the next six months, welcomed the presidency as some leaders voiced concerns about the upcoming elections in Venezuela and inconclusive commercial trade with the European Union.
Founded in the early 90s by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, with the participation of Venezuela and Bolivia in the following years, Mercosur now covers all of South America through various trade agreements with associated countries.
The meeting marked the 62nd summit of Mercosur members and related states.
During the ceremony, Fernandez congratulated Lula on his role as Mercosur’s new interim president.
“I know you will lead with faith and clarity. Your challenges are our challenges. Your decisions are our decisions. I will accompany you next term,” he said.
But Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou expressed “abundant pessimism” about a 25-year-old trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union, which has recently shown signs of recession again.
The agreement, which was officially ratified in 2019 and covers 31 countries, was interrupted during the presidency of Brazilian Jair Bolsonaro, who is said to have created distrust in the European bloc over his environmental policies and treatment of the Amazon.
While an expedited process is expected after Lula’s victory in Brazil’s 2022 election, the left-wing president called the deal “unacceptable” after the EU added a clause to the Mercosur agreement that would subject member states to sanctions if they did not comply with the agreement’s terms. Paris Agreement.
At Tuesday’s summit, Lula said, “The Additional Tool presented by the European Union in March this year is unacceptable. Strategic partners do not negotiate on the basis of mistrust and the threat of sanctions. Mercosur’s swift and strong response is imperative.”
Lula said the Mercosur countries were relegated to “the eternal role of exporters of raw materials, minerals and oil” under the proposed deal.
In addition, Lacalle Pou and his Paraguayan counterpart, Mario Abdo Benitez, accused the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of preventing opposition leader María Corina Machado from participating in the upcoming elections by banning opposition leader María Corina Machado from holding public office for 15 years retroactively from 2015. It has been criticized as an authoritarian attempt to secure Maduro’s power.
While both Lula and Fernandez said the ongoing crisis is a problem that must be resolved by Venezuelans through dialogue “between themselves, not by countries involved in internal affairs”, Pou and Benitez argue that the alleged human rights violation in Venezuela should be addressed by Mercosur. told. members.
Only some of the news presented to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS) and in summary form are available on the Anadolu Agency website. Please contact us for subscription options.
