At a meeting held in Sao Paulo on Monday, Presidential candidate Lula da Silva promised Bolivian President Luis Arce to intercede before the Brazilian Congress to speed up the Andean country's entry as a full member of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Sao Paulo, September 5 (RHC)-- At a meeting held in Sao Paulo on Monday, Presidential candidate Lula da Silva promised Bolivian President Luis Arce to intercede before the Brazilian Congress to speed up the Andean country's entry as a full member of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

If Lula is elected as president in October, "he is committed to accelerating Bolivia's integration into MERCOSUR, which is very important for international relations," said Celso Amorim, who was foreign affairs minister during the previous Lula administration (2003-2010).

The diplomat also stressed that Bolivia's entry as a full member of MERCOSUR will facilitate contact between this trade bloc and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN).  Bolivia's accession process began a decade ago and has already been reviewed by Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. So far, however, it has not been ratified by the Brazilian Congress.

Besides addressing issues related to the South American integration processes, Lula and Arce analyzed economic issues such as possible investments in infrastructure, participation in industrial projects, and cooperation in the exploitation of lithium.

During his meeting with the Andean president, the Workers' Party leader also shared his experiences in the implementation of social policies and programs against hunger. They also analyzed topics on the Amazon Basin, where both countries share ecosystems of global importance.

Lula da Silva aspires to be elected as President of Brazil in the October 2 elections. So far, all the polls give him an advantage of over ten percentage points over the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for re-election for a second term.