Lula leaves for the G7 Summit in Japan

Brasilia DF) – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva embarked, this Wednesday (17), on a trip to Japan, where he is participating in the external engagement segment of the G7 Summit, a meeting of leaders from the seven largest economies in the world: the United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada. The event takes place on the 20th and 21st, in Hiroshima, and Lula’s presence is at the invitation of the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida.

This Wednesday morning, Lula handed over his position to vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, who accompanied him to the Brasília Air Base.

This is the seventh time that Lula participates in the G7 Summit. The first six took place in the first two mandates, between 2003 and 2009. And since then, Brazil has not attended a meeting of the group.

Last week, preceding the meeting of leaders, the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 took place, also in Japan. The Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, was at the event as a guest alongside representatives of other emerging countries. It was the first time that a Brazilian Minister of Finance participated in this meeting.

For the government, the invitations mark the resumption of Brazil’s engagement with the G7 and the country’s positioning in international affairs.

priority themes

The main topics to be addressed at the summit will be food security, the problems caused by inflation and the high indebtedness of developing nations, actions to combat climate change, strengthening the world health system and the war in Ukraine.

This last issue is a priority for the Brazilian president, who is trying to organize a group of neutral countries to negotiate a peace agreement. The Brazilian government works so that the final declaration of the G7 reflects Brazil’s vision regarding this war and believes that there must be a consensus regarding food security.

“As it is a statement about food security and there are effects of the conflict in Ukraine on access to food, an initial reference should be made to the conflict in Ukraine. And, naturally, the Brazilian government negotiates this language, so that it is compatible with the language that Brazil has used on the subject, it has even defended it in the negotiation of resolutions in various international bodies, such as the UN itself”, said the Secretary of Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, in a briefing about Lula’s trip on Monday (15).

Sustainable development and the situation of the economy of developing countries is also on the agenda of the Brazilian president. Last week, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, said that the economic crisis in Argentina will be one of the issues raised by Lula within the scope of the G7. For the president, it is necessary to make the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “take the knife from Argentina’s neck”.

Brazil’s biggest trading partners in South America, Argentines are facing a new economic crisis, with the devaluation of the peso – the local currency –, loss of purchasing power and high inflation rates. In March, inflation in the neighboring country reached 104% per year. A historic drought is also affecting Argentina’s grain crops, deepening the economic crisis and jeopardizing the country’s debt payment targets agreed with the IMF.

Schedule

In Hiroshima, Lula will participate in three thematic meetings and will have bilateral meetings with, at least, three heads of state and government. On Friday (19), meetings are scheduled with the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida; the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi; and with the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. Other governments have also expressed interest in meetings with the Brazilian and confirmation depends on the reconciliation of agendas.

On Saturday (20), Lula will participate in the first thematic meeting of debates foreseen in the agenda. On the agenda are the main contemporary challenges, such as food security, health, gender and democracy. Then, at the second meeting, the debate will be on the challenges in the environmental areas, facing climate change and energy transition.

On Sunday (21), the heads of state and government are scheduled to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. And the last thematic meeting of the summit takes place, which will deal with peace, prosperity and development.

*With information from IstoÉ

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