Lula da Silva begins his visit to Spain – Guantanamo Radio

Mercosur, economic and trade relations, labor cooperation and Ukraine appear on the agenda that the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will bring to Spain.

The Brazilian president arrived in Madrid a few hours ago, coming from Portugal, and will complete an extensive program on Wednesday that includes a meeting with the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, and a joint press conference.

Lula da Silva will also be received by King Felipe VI at the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Later, His Majesty the King will give him a luncheon at the Royal Palace, which will also be attended by Sanchez, the first and second vice presidents, Nadia Calvino and Yolanda Diaz, respectively, and a number of ministers from both countries.

At the Moncloa Palace, the South American giant will have a meeting with Sanchez in the middle of the morning, then both leaders will lead the signing of several bilateral agreements and right after that, they will speak to the press.

The importance of a future agreement between Mercosur and the European Union is one of the main issues that Lula will address in Madrid, with regard to the Spanish presidency of the Community bloc from next July 1.

“Brazil and Mercosur partners are engaged in dialogue to conclude negotiations with the European Union and we hope to have good news this year,” the visiting head of state wrote on his Twitter account.

“It is a very important agreement for everyone, and we want it to be balanced and contribute to re-industrialization in Brazil,” he said after meeting with Spanish businessmen here.

With this in mind, he predicted that he would like to attract “a new wave of Spanish investment”. He said that the infrastructure program that I will launch in May will bring promising opportunities.

Today, Brazil’s Minister of Labor, Luiz Marino, signs a memorandum of cooperation with his Spanish counterpart, Yolanda Diaz, with whom he met on labor issues.

Marinho was full of praise for the Spanish labor reform and stressed that his country would drink from this experience, which he described as positive.

I am convinced that this new phase between Spain and Brazil is crucial to building a democratic internationalism that must be, at the same time, a workers’ international, with the interests of the workers above those of those who have always been privileged in our countries, said Diaz.

The EU summit with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels on July 17-18 is another relevant issue in the exchanges between Spain and Brazil in Madrid at the highest level.

In addition, Foreign Ministers Jose Manuel Albares and Mauro Vieira will speak privately on Wednesday, giving statements to the press at the end of their talks at the Palacio de Viana.