Venezuela Initiates Return to International Stage... Summit with Brazil After 8 Years

Venezuela, which had been isolated in the international community due to sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western countries, has begun to stretch toward a return to the international stage, supported by Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva.

On the 29th (local time), President Lula welcomed Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro at the presidential palace in Bras?lia, the capital of Brazil, and held a summit. This was the first summit between the two leaders in eight years since 2015.

Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva (left) and Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro greet each other before having lunch on the 29th (local time) in Bras?lia.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

At a press conference held immediately after the private meeting, President Lula criticized the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and expressed his support for President Maduro. President Lula stated, "It is absurd to deny that President Maduro is the president of Venezuela," and added, "It is incomprehensible to impose 900 sanctions on a country just because another country dislikes it."

He also pointed out, "President Maduro has no dollars to import," calling it "the fault of the United States, which created an extremely abnormal blockade."

President Maduro of Venezuela responded by saying, "I will propose to South American leaders to jointly respond in order to demand the lifting of sanctions against us from the United States."

President Maduro also conveyed his hope to join BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to President Lula. In response, President Lula expressed his support for Venezuela's intention to join.

Diplomatic relations between Brazil and Venezuela were officially severed during the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro (2019?2022), Lula's predecessor. This was because former President Bolsonaro aligned with the United States and recognized Juan Guaid?, then the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as the interim president.

President Maduro was re-elected in 2018 with 67.8% of the vote, but the opposition claimed election fraud and did not accept the results.

Consequently, the Trump administration and Western countries labeled Maduro's re-election as fraudulent, aimed at prolonging dictatorship, and increased the level of sanctions. Later, the U.S. eased regulations on oil extraction projects in Venezuela due to energy shortages caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but some sanctions remain in place.

However, since taking office in January, President Lula has restored diplomatic relations with Venezuela and officially dispatched diplomats to the Brazilian embassy in Caracas.

Meanwhile, the South American Summit will be held on the 30th at the Itamaraty Palace in Bras?lia. The summit will be attended by heads of state from 12 South American countries, including Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Peru.

These countries plan to discuss ways to strengthen regional cooperation bodies that move away from the order centered on the United States and the European Union (EU).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.