President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said this Thursday (16) that the countries of South America will only develop together and in solidarity, since, according to him, “it is not possible to imagine a rich country surrounded by poor countries on all sides”.
“Brazil, as the big brother of the countries of South America, has the responsibility of making other countries grow together with us, so that we can live in a continent of peace and tranquility; and so that we never again repeat the ignorant gesture of a war between men and women and between nations, like the one between Brazil and Paraguay”, said the president in Paraná, during the inauguration ceremony of Enio Verri in the Brazilian presidency of the hydroelectric plant Itaipu Binational.
During the speech, Lula defended the improvement of relations between the countries of the continent, especially in terms of strengthening Mercosur and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur).
“Brazil – for its size, population and for being the most developed country from an industrial, scientific and technological point of view – must have the greatness of being humble and the greatness of sharing everything that can happen for the good of the Brazilian people. , with people from neighboring countries,” he said.
The new president of the hydroelectric plant defended, in his speech, that in addition to the economic value of electric energy, the input is also important for social development.
“I prefer to point out that the social dimension of energy and the universalization of access [à energia] it is an enabling condition for full citizenship in the 21st century. It is also indispensable for incorporating the excluded market and access to basic goods. We want energy for all Brazilian men and women. It is a basic right that the State has an obligation to guarantee. That’s why it’s considered an essential service.
green hydrogen
Lula added that the plant’s potential could favor the production of a clean energy source that has increasingly attracted foreign interest: green hydrogen.
“Itaipu is a fantastic thing: you have a huge lake and you have some white pipes that produce dollars. Yes, there, in fact, money is produced. When I see Itaipu pouring water, I keep imagining the amount of dollars. Who knows, maybe in the very near future we will produce Green Hydrogen from that Itaipu water, earning money from both ends”, he said.
Lula highlighted the importance for Paraguay’s economy of closing the payment of the financing installments for the construction of the binational plant, and assured Brazilian goodwill for the next negotiations involving the undertaking.
“I am sure that we will make a treaty that takes into account the reality of both countries and that takes into account the respect that Brazil has to have for its ally, our dear Paraguay”, he said.
Lula recalled that, during the negotiations for the construction of a line linking the plant to the Paraguayan capital, Asunción, the Brazilian government received a lot of criticism from its business community for favoring the trip of Brazilian companies to the neighboring country.
“That was the objective, because a country the size of Brazil, which borders all the countries of South America except Ecuador and Chile, is a country that has to combine its economic growth with the economic growth of its partners” , argued.
Unila
Still in defense of a growing unification between the countries of the continent, Lula said that he will resume the commitment assumed in his previous mandates, to strengthen the Federal University of Latin American Integration (Unila), inaugurated in 2010, in Foz do Iguaçu.
“After I left the Presidency, little was done at Unila. And I dreamed that this university should have, nowadays, more than 20,000 students. My commitment to the Brazilian people is to rebuild Unila”, he said. .
“How does a country the size of Cuba, with 10 million inhabitants and a territory the size of Pernambuco, manage to have a medical university to offer to students from all over South America and, free of charge, to African countries? And how is it that a country the size and greatness of Brazil does not have this generosity to offer possibilities for children and adolescents throughout our continent?”, he added.
new director general
The appointment of economist Enio Verri to manage the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric plant was published in the Official Gazette on the 10th. He replaces Admiral Anatalicio Risden Junior, who had held the position since February 2022.
The appointment of members of the Executive Board is valid for a period of five years. However, reappointments or replacements may be made at any time by the governments of Brazil or Paraguay.
