The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, declared this Tuesday that the next summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the European Union (EU) “only makes sense” if the issue of the recent United States attacks in the Caribbean Sea is addressed.
The statements were offered in a meeting with the media, on the eve of the meeting that will be held in Santa Marta, Colombia, on November 9 and 10.
Latin America as a zone of peace
Lula reiterated his position in defense of dialogue in the face of military threats, especially in relation to Venezuela.
“Latin America is a zone of peace. I don’t want us to reach a land invasion. I told President Trump, and I repeat it to you, that political problems are not solved with weapons. They are solved with dialogue,” he said.
The Brazilian president made reference to the threats of the American president of attacking countries in the region “by land” under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
Regional reactions and military context
President Nicolás Maduro has denounced that the country is the victim of a “multiform war” orchestrated from the US, including the deployment of marines in the Caribbean and bombings against vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking. These actions have been described by Caracas as an “armed aggression” for the purposes of regime change.
At the end of October, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fanb) began military exercises in coastal areas to face external threats, after Trump authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations against Venezuela.
The Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs of Colombia, Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, leads the negotiations for the Final Declaration of the meeting.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry confirmed Lula’s attendance at the summit, which seeks to strengthen bi-regional cooperation and advance a common agenda of sustainable development, justice and energy transition.
