Buenos AiresThe LXVI summit of Presidents of the Mercosur took place this Thursday in Buenos Aires in one of the most uncertain moments in the blog. Brazil and Argentina, the two main economies in the region, have disparate views on the meaning and usefulness of the organization. At the meeting of heads of state in Buenos Aires, the well -known differences between Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, who has passed the six -month -old presidency of the blog, have been evident.
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The summit has been the first official visit of Lula to Argentina since Milei is president: without any bilateral meeting, the meeting between the two presidents has been strictly protocol.
The common southern market was founded 34 years ago by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, and in 2023, Bolivia was added, as a full state. Milei has always expressed its contrary to multilateral organizations-from Mercosur to the G-20, and even the United Nations-which he accuses of being inefficient and promoting “socialist” agendas.
In this case, and as a host, he has begun the summit with a hard speech against the current operation of the Mercosur: he has stated that, over the years, the block – which he has called “iron curtain” – would have exceeded commercial protectionism, and thus would have harmed the economies of the region and, consequently, the citizens. In addition, he has accused the block of dragging a “elephantial bureaucratic structure”, causing a Mercosur that has “cut economic freedoms and deprived of opportunities. [sectors] Private from the region. ”
However, it has held the new free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA, for its acronym in English, a group that integrates Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway) and will create a free area of almost 300 million people with a combined GDP of more than $ 4.3 trillion.
Opening and commercial flexibility
In this regard, Milei has urged the next temporary presidency of the Mercosur, that of Brazil, to continue with the proposals for opening and commercial flexibility that the Argentine leadership has begun. He has asked the members of the block continuity in the deregulation policies and warned that, if not, he will do so “alone”.
Milei has been talking about establishing a free -trade treaty with the United States for some time, an unrealizable idea in the current Mercosur terms, which they negotiate in Bloc. “We need to stop thinking about Mercosur as a shield that protects us from the world and start thinking about it as a spear that allows us to penetrate the global markets effectively,” he said.
Immediately afterwards, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has begun his speech by talking about Mercosur as a “refuge” and a “house with solid bases, capable of resisting the strength of the time”. Lula has referred to an “unstable and threatening world” and guaranteed that his chairmanship of the block would serve to “reflect on the place we aspire to occupy on the new global board” and to “protect our space of autonomy in an increasingly polarized context”. He has praised the utility of the common external tariff in a context of trade war, as well as the “institutional robustness” that accredits members as reliable partners around the world. In this sense, he has referred to the Free Trade Treaty with the European Union, which “trust” to be able to close definitively at the end of this year.
The Brazilian coincided with Milei in the urgent need to combat organized crime and drug trafficking in the region, with the creation, on the initiative of Argentina, of the Agency Against Transnational Organized Crime. Lula has also talked about energy transition, artificial intelligence and human rights, and finally devoted a few words to the deceased Pope Francis and the former President of Uruguay, Pepe Mujica, “ two great referents ” of the region and “ exceptional human beings ” to which Brazil has the intention to “ honor ” during his presidency of Mercosur.
Lula Visit Fernández de Kirchner
At the end of the summit, Lula has immediately headed to the Porteny de Constitución district, escorted by a large security device, where he has visited former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who since June 17 has fulfilled a home prison, sentenced by corruption. The expectation for the meeting of both leaders was enormous, as Lula was also imprisoned for corruption, and later the court revoked the ruling, claiming that his rights had not been respected during the court process.
At the gates of the Kirchner home, several dozens of people with Brazilian and Workers’ Flags (PT) were waiting for the arrival of the neighboring President. “It is symbolic that Lula will visit Cristina today,” said Carmen, 65 years old, “they both pursue them for the same thing: because they are people, and because they take care of the workers.”
