The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, sent this Monday a congratulatory message to his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after winning the second round of the presidential elections in Brazil. In his letter, the Russian leader interprets the result as a citizen endorsement of Lula's economic and social agenda and expresses his desire to continue advancing in "a fruitful bilateral cooperation."
"Dear friend, please accept my most sincere congratulations on your reelection to the position of president of Brazil," Putin noted in the letter sent to Lula da Silva after his victory was confirmed. "The results of the voting have fully confirmed the recognition, by your fellow citizens, of your outstanding leadership qualities, as well as the support for the sustainable social and economic development path of the country and for the defense of its sovereignty and legitimate interests on the international stage," he added.
In the text, the head of the Kremlin also emphasizes that "it is difficult to overestimate your personal contribution to strengthening the strategic partnership between Brazil and Russia," and stresses that both nations "will continue to work closely together to further promote fruitful bilateral cooperation in all areas, as well as constructive collaboration within the framework of the United Nations, the BRICS, the G20, and other multilateral structures."
Putin also took the opportunity in the message to convey his best wishes to Lula on the occasion of his upcoming birthday — this Tuesday he turns 81 years old — and wished him "good health, happiness, well-being, and new successes in his governmental duties, for the benefit of the friendly people of Brazil," according to the letter released by the Kremlin.
These words were echoed by the Russian presidential spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, who highlighted that Lula da Silva "is doing a great job not only to develop bilateral relations but also to continue the processes within the BRICS and other organizations," according to the news agency TASS. "We hope that these processes continue in the future," he concluded.
According to the data released by the electoral commission, Lula has obtained 51.77% of the valid votes in the second round of the presidential elections, compared to 48.23% garnered by the far-right Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The figures correspond to 99.89% of the counting, with a turnout of around 80.8% of the census.