Brazil discusses preservation with Venezuela and 6 more

Next week, Brazil will host the Amazon Summit, in Belém (PA), and, once again, the intention of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) is to discuss strategies for the preservation of the Amazon and the integration of the countries that make up the region – Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

During the presentation of the event at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, this Tuesday (1st), the secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean, Gisela Maria Figueiredo Padovan, stated that the purpose of the summit is to bring the eight countries to the center of discussions that involve the preservation and defense of the Amazon region. “We are open to receiving cooperation [de outros países], any help is welcome. But management is ours”, said the ambassador.

Scheduled to take place between the 4th and 9th of August, the Amazon Summit will also discuss sustainability, defense and development actions in the region.

At the meeting, the Brazilian government also intends to strengthen the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which is formed by the eight countries that make up the Amazon forest.

During this Tuesday’s event, Padovan reinforced the importance of ACTO and the desire to give the organization the leading role to develop actions in the Amazon region. “The objective is to strengthen ACTO, a very important organization in debates and treaties aimed at producing knowledge and formulating projects to overcome the challenges in the Amazon region”, he said.

Six of the eight heads of state of the Amazonian countries are confirmed for the event. The exceptions are the presidents of Ecuador and Suriname, who will send their respective prime ministers to the meeting.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is one of the confirmed participants for the Amazon Summit. It is the second time that Maduro should come to Brazil this year. In the first, in May, Lula caused outrage even among leftists when he said that the dictatorship in Venezuela was just a narrative. The Caracas regime is responsible for persecution, arrests and murders of opponents, but tries to pass an image of democracy by periodically holding rigged elections.

guests

In addition to these countries, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, was also invited to the summit in order to represent French Guiana – France’s overseas region in South America. The Frenchman, however, should not come to Brazil, but has not yet commented on sending a representative.

The Presidents of Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were also invited to attend the Summit.

So far, the participation of representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo and São Vicente have been confirmed. Itamaraty is still awaiting the return of the other guests.

The intention, according to the Itamaraty, is to strengthen dialogue and integration between these nations that have tropical forests.

Participation of civil society is highlighted at the Amazon Summit

With an extensive program during the days of the Amazon Summit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reinforced the participation of civil society in the discussions. “You can’t talk about the Amazon without the Amazonians,” Padovan pointed out.

The folder informed that civil leaders of the eight countries that make up the Amazon will have direct dialogues with the population to study strategies for the region.

Last month, at an event in the city of Leticia, Colombia, ACTO members had open dialogues with the Amazonian population to discuss defense strategies and sustainable development in the Amazon.

Next week, the intention is to present the practical measures to put these strategies into action. In addition to sustainable development, the fight against organized crime is a crucial issue for the countries that make up the region.

Cooperation against organized crime will be subject of discussion at the Summit

During the summit, the countries are also going to present strategies to combat organized crime in the Amazon region. Criminality invaded land, rivers and also air traffic in the forest region.

Among the actions suggested are the creation of a police cooperation center for the countries of the Amazon and an integrated air traffic control system in the region.

At the end of the summit, the countries will sign a Joint Declaration, whose terms are already being discussed. According to sources at the Itamaraty, the signature will come from a “joint” action and not by vote. That is, all countries will need to agree on the terms and tone that will be adopted in the document.