In Japan, Lula meets with Macron and other heads of state

Brasilia DF) – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives this Thursday night (18) in Japan – Friday morning (19) local time – to participate in the external engagement segment of the G7 Summit, a meeting of leaders from seven of the largest economies in the world: United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada. On the occasion, Lula will also have bilateral meetings with at least seven heads of state and government, including the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

Lula seeks support for the negotiation of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and has already dealt with the matter personally with several world leaders. The conversation with Macron had been rehearsed for some time; the two were together at King Charles’s coronation in London earlier this month but had no opportunity for a private meeting.

“Someone in this world has to worry about peace, make a decision and try to convince those who are at war to stop the war, sit down and negotiate,” Lula told journalists at the time in London. The special adviser for international affairs of the Presidency and former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim has also traveled to Russia and Ukraine to speak personally with leaders of both countries and learn about their main demands in order to start peace negotiations.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia began in February 2022 and has already left thousands dead and refugees, in addition to impacting the global production and distribution of food and energy.

The subject is one of President Lula’s priorities during his participation in the G7, in Hiroshima, and at the summit of the group’s leaders. In addition to the war, food security, problems caused by inflation and the high indebtedness of developing nations, actions to combat climate change and strengthening of the global health system, among others, will also be addressed.

Schedule

On Friday afternoon, at 5 pm (5 am in Brasilia time), Lula will have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.

On the morning of Saturday, the 20th, at 8:45 am (8:45 pm on Friday in Brazil), the president will meet with Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, who, as temporary president of the G7 and host of the event, invited Lula to participate from the summit during a phone call in early April.

During the bilateral meeting with the Japanese premier, Lula will address issues such as the expansion of bilateral trade and investment flows, cooperation in the area of ​​decarbonization, and the integration of the Brazilian community in Japan, estimated at around 204,000 individuals (the fifth largest in the world). Issues on the international agenda will also be addressed, such as the peace and security agenda and the fight against climate change. In 2022, trade between the two countries reached US$ 11.9 billion, with a Brazilian surplus of around US$ 1.3 billion. In addition, Japan is an important source of direct investment in Brazil, with a stock of approximately US$ 22.8 billion.

At 10:00 am on Saturday (10:00 pm on Friday in Brazil), the president of Brazil will make the third bilateral trip, meeting with the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. After lunch, at 3 pm (3 am on Saturday in Brazil), the leaders of the G7 and the eight invited countries – Brazil, India, Indonesia, Australia, Cook Islands, Comoros, South Korea and Vietnam – and international organizations will hold the first session of the summit, which will discuss the main contemporary challenges, such as food security, health, gender and democracy.

At 5:55 pm (5:55 am in Brazil), Lula will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. Then, at 6:25 pm (6:25 am in Brazil), the second working session will take place with the summit participants, with debates on environmental issues, coping with climate change and energy transition.

The last appointment on Saturday will be at 8 pm (8 am in Brazil), when the Brazilian president will meet with the Prime Minister of Germany, Olaf Scholz.

On Sunday morning (21), at 9:40 am (9:40 pm on Saturday in Brazil), all heads of delegation will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The event includes an on-site flower laying ceremony in honor of the victims of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.

Afterwards, at 10:30 am (10:30 pm on Saturday in Brazil), the third and last working meeting of the G7 summit with the invited countries will take place, which will deal with peace, prosperity and development.

After lunch, at 2:30 pm (2:30 am on a Sunday in Brazil), the president will meet with António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations (UN). At 3:15 pm (3:15 am in Brazil), Lula meets the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh. Afterwards, at 5:00 pm (5:00 am in Brazil), the president will have a meeting with a group of Japanese businessmen and representatives of the financing bank JBIC.

Before flying back to Brazil, on Monday (22nd), President Lula will hold a press conference at 8:00 am (20:00 on Sunday at Brasília time).

*With information from Agência Brasil

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