“He gave me the great joy of telling me that his first visit will be to Argentina (…) before taking office”on January 1, 2023, Fernandez, a longtime ally of Lula, said after a meeting in the São Paulo capital.
The leaders greeted each other smilingly, with an affectionate hug, according to a video published by the Argentine president on his social networks.
Lula, who did not make a statement after the meeting, wrote on his social networks along with a photo with Fernández: “Latin America is united again. We are going to work together to strengthen the relationship between our countries.”
The Argentine president stated that today is “a day of vindication of the people of Brazil” to Lula, and highlighted coincidences in “The need for integration in Latin America”.
Also read: Truckers block several highways in Brazil due to the defeat of Bolsonaro
It was Lula’s first meeting with a president after the election.
The leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) sand imposed on Sunday in the second round of the presidential over far-right president Jair Bolsonaro by 50.9% to 49.1%, although the latter has not yet conceded defeat.
Fernández has had a tense relationship with Bolsonaro. Although these two neighboring countries are strategic partners, their respective presidents never held a bilateral meeting in person.
You may also be interested in: Lula’s triumph in Brazil: a second wave of the left in Latin America?
During the campaign, the Brazilian president criticized the Argentine government, noting in particular the high inflation of the country, by despising the “leftist” administrations in the region.
The former leftist Uruguayan president José “Pepe” Mujica (2010-2015) also celebrated the victory together with Lula, whom he accompanied at the closing of the campaign on Saturday in Sao Paulo.
“The happiest town is recovering its heart”, Mujica told the press on Monday.
Other leaders of the region and the world congratulated Lula after the victory.
The entrance Lula receives Fernández and promises to visit Argentina before taking office was first published in diary TODAY.
