Barcelona has hosted this Friday the first bilateral summit between Spain and Brazil, in which the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, have reinforced their commitment to an international order based on cooperation, multilateralism, and the defense of democracy.
Both leaders have signed a total of 15 cooperation agreements within the framework of a meeting held at the Pedralbes Palace in Barcelona, highlighting a vision of the world "anchored in democracy, respect for international law, and peace."
Sánchez issues a warning against the "reactionary wave"
In a press conference, the head of the Spanish Executive has defended that the relationship between both countries is based on the same political and diplomatic philosophy. "While others open wounds, we want to close them, heal them and dedicate ourselves to what is important", stated Pedro Sánchez, who has positioned the summit as a message of cooperation versus international confrontation.
The President of the Government has underlined that Spain and Brazil share a common vision in the defense of democracy, respect for international law, human rights, and peace, in a context that he has described as one of growing global fragmentation.
Likewise, Sánchez has warned that democratic values are under pressure from the advance of what he has defined as a "reactionary wave" and from the strengthening of authoritarian regimes. In that sense, he has defended that the response must be greater international coordination between countries that are committed to stability, cooperation, and shared development.
Lula joins Sánchez's "no to war" and attends "astonished" a "new arms race"
For his part, Lula da Silva has warned of the reappearance of conflicts in different regions of the world and has lamented what he has described as a "new arms race".
The Brazilian president has claimed respect for the sovereignty of States and has agreed with Sánchez on the need to reject the logic of war as a political tool. "No to war," he recalled, in reference to his political career. "My dear friend Pedro Sánchez, I perfectly understand when you say 'no to war'. I also said it when I took office as president in 2003," he remarked.
What has been signed?
In this first bilateral summit between Spain and Brazil, both countries have signed a battery of agreements that include matters such as the ecological transition, technological innovation, social cohesion, consular diplomacy, cultural and educational cooperation
Among the texts signed by both governments are a Memorandum of Understanding on Social and Solidarity Economy; others on cooperation in consular matters; in science, technology and innovation and in the field of gender equality and eradication of violence against women, in addition to agreements linked to critical minerals, key in the energy transition, and to cultural cooperation, aimed at reinforcing the exchange between Spain and Brazil.
Military honors for Lula
The arrival of the Brazilian president this morning in the Catalan capital has been accompanied by military honors, the protocol greeting to the Spanish delegation and a 'family photo' with representatives from both countries before the start of the bilateral meeting.
The meeting between both leaders took place minutes before 11:00 AM in an encounter that has consolidated the harmony between Madrid and Brasilia. In parallel, the ministers of both governments have held sectoral meetings that subsequently gave way to a joint plenary session between the two delegations.
The meeting has been arranged after a telephone conversation held between both leaders following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, more than a month ago, a context that has served as a backdrop to reinforce bilateral cooperation.
In the meeting, along with the President of the Government, the vice presidents Yolanda Díaz and Sara Aagesen participated, in addition to the ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; Culture, Ernest Urtasun; Digital Transformation, Óscar López; and Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz.