President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in Uruguay this Thursday afternoon to participate in the Mercosur summit and, as his first appointment in the country, paid a visit to former Uruguayan president Pepe Mujica, to whom he handed over the order of Cruzeiro do South, Brazil’s highest honor.
“This is the most important award in Brazil. This medal that I am giving to Pepe Mujica is not because he was the president of Uruguay, it is because he is a friend”, said Lula, visibly moved, alongside the former Uruguayan president.
Mujica is facing esophageal cancer, diagnosed in April this year, and is showing fragility with treatment, at the age of 89.
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President of Uruguay between 2010 and 2015, Mujica has a long-standing relationship with the Brazilian president, whom he visited in prison, in Curitiba, in 2018. Both have regular meetings, even when they were outside the Presidency.
“I always say that we don’t choose brothers. We don’t even choose mothers. Now, we choose a companion. And I can say that of all the presidents I’ve met, been friends with and lived with for many years, Pepe Mujica is the most extraordinary person I’ve met,” said Lula, who cried during the meeting with his friend.
“I receive this medal in the name of my people. I did what I could for my people. And nothing more. This is a friend of many years”, replied an equally emotional Mujica. “Thank you for your life, Lula.”
