President Alberto Fernández and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, confirmed this Sunday that progress in the creation of a “common South American currency” within the framework of the “bilateral alliance” between both countries; They demanded “peace and democracy” and condemned all forms of “undemocratic extremism” and “political violence” in the region.
The leaders published a text in the Sunday newspaper Perfil as a prelude to the agenda that they will share this Monday at the meeting that both will hold as part of Da Silva’s visit to the country for the VII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).
In the message, which they wrote together, they indicated that decided to “advance discussions on a common South American currency that can be used for both financial and trade flowsreducing operating costs and our external vulnerability.”
Along these lines, they urged “simplify and modernize the rules and encourage the use of local currencies” in order to “overcome barriers” in exchanges.
Meanwhile, they stressed that the meeting between the two tomorrow will be the first “in more than three years” between the two nations and they celebrated that the VII Celac Summit, which will take place on Tuesday, will mark “Brazil’s return to this mechanism of dialogue and regional agreement”.
From both meetings, They announced that they will relaunch “the bilateral alliance” by reactivating “several spaces for cooperation and dialogue.”
“There are multiple areas in which we will work together again on important issues for the quality of life of our populations, such as the fight against hunger and poverty, health, education, sustainable development, climate change and the reduction of all forms of inequality,” they said.
The leaders, at the same time, they considered that the “fluid and dynamic” relationship between Brazil and Argentina “is essential for the advancement of regional integration.”
“We want Mercosur to constitute a platform for our effective integration into the world, through the joint negotiation of balanced trade agreements that respond to our strategic development objectives,” they said.
Refering to South American Union of Nations (Unasur), affirmed that they will work to “rescue and update” that body and remarked that Argentina and Brazil are “decidedly committed to building a strong, democratic, stable and peaceful South America.”
Both presidents also called for “strengthening the role of civil society, state and municipal governments, and parliaments as actors in this rapprochement,” and assured that “the ties between Argentina and Brazil are cemented in the consolidation of peace and democracy”.
“We want democracy forever. Dictatorship never again,” they stressed and condemned “all forms of anti-democratic extremism and political violence.”
In other axes, Fernández and Da Silva indicated that they pay “special attention to the reindustrialization” of both economies, which includes “the generation of quality employment and investment in innovation.”
They stressed “the fundamental role” that both nations play for “food security in a world affected by geopolitical risks and serious disruptions in supply chains.”
In terms of infrastructure, they assured that “A central theme of this new moment is energy integration” and they highlighted that “the electrical interconnection” between the two countries “is already a reality” while they pointed to the “potential” that “gas integration” may have.
They also called for consolidating a joint position “as possessors of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”
“The fairer and more supportive world to which we aspire will only be viable if we have the courage to forge our future together. That is the strategic meaning of bilateral integration,” they completed.
