The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has made explicit in Barcelona his support for the “no to war” raised by the president of the Government of Spain, Pedro sánchez, after celebrating the I Spain-Brazil Summit. “My dear friend Pedro Sánchez, I understand you when you say no to war. We are astonished to witness a new arms race,” he said at the end of the meeting. For his part, the President of the Government highlighted in his speech that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights and peace.”
Lula recalled that Spain was a “laboratory of World War II, the horror suffered by Spain anticipated the greatest carnage in history.” Now, he continued, “several regions of the world are in conflict again, we are stunned by a new arms race, women and children are dying, AI is replacing ethics. That is why I understand perfectly when you say no to war,” he said, addressing Sánchez.
Sánchez has said that Madrid and Brasilia want to “redouble efforts to work for peace and renewed multilateralism.” “While others open wounds, we want to close them, heal them, dedicate ourselves to what is important, to curb inequality in our societies and between nations and respond to the great challenges of humanity, such as the climate emergency, and give a humanist perspective to technological development,” he said. He has also stated that democracy and peace are being “attacked by the global reactionary wave, authoritarianism and misinformation”, which is why he has defended the Meeting in Defense of Democracy that several world leaders are taking part in this Saturday in Barcelona.
Lula arrived this Friday at the Pedralbes Palace in Barcelona, where he was received by Sánchez with military honors. A military band played the anthems of both countries at the reception of the Brazilian leader, in the courtyard of the Barcelona palace. Then, the two leaders reviewed the military formation and greeted the members of the two governments participating in the summit, and then everyone posed for a family photo and entered the palace for the meetings.
A dozen ministers from each party participated in the bilateral meeting and a series of agreements have been signed that will increase collaboration between Spain and Brazil. They will also address issues of relevance in the international arena, such as the Middle East crisis after the United States attack on Israel and Iran or the situation in Venezuela and Cuba, also affected by Trump’s decisions. The heads of government will appear at a joint press conference starting at 2:00 p.m.
