LISBON, Nov 20 (NNN-XINHUA/AGENCIES) — Visiting Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said here that Brazil and Portugal need to have a close relationship.
“Portugal is a historic partner, and we need to learn to have a very close relationship,” Lula told journalists after meeting with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa for talks behind closed doors at the presidential palace in Lisbon.
Lula, who will assume office for the third time on Jan 1, 2023, said his government will give more attention to climate issues, including the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
More than 200,000 Brazilian immigrants live in Portugal, making them by far the largest foreign community. Some 80,000 were registered to vote in Brazil’s October election that will return Lula to power.
Portugal is the second-most-popular choice for emigrating Brazilians, after the United States.
Lula takes office on Jan 1, but he is keen to begin setting a new tone in Brazil’s foreign relations.
He flew to Lisbon from the UN climate conference in Egypt, where he vowed to crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon and resume relationships with countries that finance forest protection efforts.
That has set Lula apart from outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, whom he defeated on Oct 30.
During Bolsonaro’s four-year term, there were no bilateral summits with Portugal’s leaders.
Lula, during his two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2010, cultivated ties with Portugal, whose officials are hoping for a return to those relations.
Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho says bilateral trade hasn’t grown under Bolsonaro, adding that joint renewable energy projects might offer a new way forward.
Lula belongs to Brazil’s leftist Workers’ Party. Costa, Portugal’s government chief for the last seven years, leads the center-left Socialist Party. — NNN-XINHUA
