Daniel Scioli met Lula: a bet on …

Argentine Ambassador to Brazil Daniel Scioli met former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da SIlva in Brasilia. “We developed different topics during our meeting and it was very interesting to listen to a man who loves Argentina very much and who marked a moment in a moment of deep integration,” said Scioli, who underlined the shared vision of a strategic alliance between the two countries to strengthen Mercosur.

Lula works in Brasilia, having been authorized by the courts to run in next year’s elections, in his possible candidacy for the presidency. In this context, he met foreign ambassadors. Lula and Scioli have known each other for two decades, when the current ambassador was Néstor Kirchner’s vice-president and represented Argentina in some forums.

“We both have experience of the Mercosur issue and I explained to him Argentina’s search for a more balanced trade with Brazil, even if a greater volume was achieved, and the energy project of Vaca Muerta in Porto Alegre for a more productive integration “, underlined Scioli.

“He has a vision of a strategic alliance between Argentina and Brazil and said that the stronger they are together, Paraguay and Uruguay will also be stronger. Lula stressed that together we are stronger and separately weaker, ”said Scioli. Brazil’s current government, led by Jair Bolsonaro, defends the flexibility of Mercosur to be able to unilaterally negotiate trade alliances with other blocs or countries, in addition to reducing the common external tariff for non-bloc products.

The meeting took place in a hotel where Lula set up an office for the political negotiations he initiated in Brasilia, in dialogue with the heads of parliament and with former President José Sarney, who was his ally during a game. of its mandate.

Scioli assured that the meeting with Lula will not lead to tensions with the Bolsonaro government. The meeting was duly organized diplomatically: advance notice was sent to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and to President Fernández himself.

“Lula has a feeling of gratitude and affection towards President Alberto,” remarked Scioli. Indeed, last March, after the cancellation of his sentences, Lula first thanked President Alberto Fernández for visiting him in prison in 2019 and for denouncing the lawfare which the founder of the Workers’ Party (PT) was victim.

“Lula and Scioli have made a careful examination of the bilateral agenda, that of Mercosur and the South American scenario in general,” said an adviser to Lula. He also stressed that Lula defends cultivating relations with Argentina at all times, among other things because it is the main trade destination in the region and the third after China and the United States. “And above all – explained the spokesperson close to the leader of the PT – because Scioli and Lula have known each other for 20 years, during which they have built a friendly relationship.”