CELAC bets on integration and celebrates the return of Brazil

The presidents of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) committed themselves this Tuesday to regional integration in the midst of the multiple crises that this part of the world is going through, and celebrated the return of Brazil to the forum.

The meeting of this mechanism made up of 33 countries and currently chaired by Argentina, has as its star protagonist the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvawho returned to the international arena after winning the October elections in his country, with a speech in which he permanently recalled the diplomatic achievements of his first two presidencies (2003-2010).

Brazil is back in the region and ready to work side by side with all of you,” Lula said on Tuesday.

“Brazil once again looks at its future with the certainty that we will be bilaterally associated with our neighbors, in Mercosur, Unasur and CELAC,” added Lula, who is promoting Brazil’s return to international forums for diplomatic and economic consultation.

In 2020 Bolsonaro, a harsh critic of the left, suspended Brazil’s participation in CELAC, alleging that it “gave prominence to non-democratic regimes such as those of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.”

Lula took advantage of the event to “thank everyone” for supporting the Brazilian institutions after the coup of radical supporters of former President Bolsonaro, who invaded the headquarters of the three state powers on January 8 in Brasilia.

“We are a peaceful region, which repudiates extremism, terrorism and political violence,” said Lula, who advocated reinforcing “multilateralism.”

Harder, the host Alberto Fernandez accused, in the opening speech of the forum, a “recalcitrant and fascist right” of threatening democracy in the region, and referred in particular to the episodes in Brasilia and the assassination attempt on the Argentine vice president, Cristina Kirchnerlast year, whose motivations are still unknown.

absences

The summit brings together 14 heads of state from the 33 countries that make up the forum, with some notable absences, such as the Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obradorwho apologized this Tuesday for having “enough” work in his country.

Others deserted at the last minute, such as Nicolas Maduro. The Venezuelan ruler, who was denounced before the Argentine Justice by individuals and civil organizations for violation of human rights, in an attempt to have him investigated if he came to the country, announced on Monday that he would not touch Argentine soil.

Maduro, who in a recorded message sent to the forum criticized what he described as “criminal sanctions” against Venezuela and especially against its oil industry, had an appointment on Monday with Lula, who instead kept the meeting with the Cuban on the agenda. Miguel Diaz-Canel this Tuesday.

Context of regional tension

Lula highlighted the “multiple crises” that the world is experiencing, from the pandemic to climate change, geopolitical tensions and food insecurity, or threats to democracy.

In fact, the CELAC summit takes place in a context of multiple internal crises in Latin American countries, and even tensions between neighbors and partners.

Peru is going through a deep institutional crisis, with a succession of presidents in a few years, most of them dismissed, the last of them the rural teacher Pedro Castillo, expelled by Congress after several attempts, the day he announced that he would dissolve the Legislature, would govern by decree and the Justice would intervene.

The self-coup attempt did not have the support of the security forces and Castillo was arrested and is now serving preventive detention. But the protests in the streets of Peru do not stop against the government of his constitutional successor, In Boluarte, with a balance of 46 deaths so far and without signs of a solution.

In Nicaragua, dozens of opponents of the regime of Daniel Ortega -absent from CELAC- remain in prison, and 15 days ago the Inter-American Court of Human Rights requested “urgent measures” for the release of some, including former candidates for the Presidency in the elections of 2021 who were jailed.

Argentina is going through an inflationary crisis in an election year, and the Fernández government multiplies measures to try to contain the rise in prices while it seeks to meet the fiscal goals agreed with the IMF, to which Buenos Aires owes 44,000 million dollars.

Chile will again start the process to try to endow itself with a new Constitution after the failure of its constituent convention, and in Colombia, the government agreed to discuss a bilateral ceasefire starting in February with the last guerrilla in the country, the ELN.

The Chilean Gabriel Boric and the Colombian Gustavo Petro participate in the summit.

Mercosur, meanwhile, is experiencing a deep crisis amid Montevideo’s decision to negotiate a bilateral FTA with China and request entry into the Trans-Pacific Agreement without the consent of the other bloc partners, a decision strongly questioned by Brazil, Argentina and Paraguayan.

The Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, proposed to CELAC the creation of a free trade zone in Latin America and the Caribbean.