Brazilian president Lula da Silva (L) & Argentine president Alberto Fernandez (R), 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @Spriter99880

Brasilia, May 6 (RHC)-- Brazilian President Lula da Silva has invited the South American presidents to a meeting on May 30 in Brasilia, where he will seek to promote regional integration.  The meeting would seek to reactivate cooperation agenda in key areas such as health, climate change, defense, the fight against transnational crime, infrastructure, and energy.

"It is imperative that we once again see South America as a region of peace and cooperation, a region capable of generating concrete initiatives to achieve sustainable development with social justice, a challenge we all share," Lula said in his message to the presidents.

In the invitation issued by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, however, there is no mention of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the regional integration instrument to which Brazil rejoined in April.

Since Lula became president again on January 1st, he has been seeking rapprochement with South American nations. During the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-202), Brazil had a marked diplomatic distance with neighboring countries.

Currently, the Brazilian State has revitalized relations with Argentina, a nation to which Lula personally traveled to meet with President Alberto Fernandez.  "I promised to do everything to help Argentina in this difficult moment," the Brazilian Workers' Party leader said, referring to the Argentine economic situation, which has worsened as a result of a drought.