“Venezuela will once again be treated normally, as all countries want to be treated,” said Lula da Silva.
A teleSUR report said:
On Monday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva asked the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to help solve the problems of Venezuela and Cuba and treat these nations with “much affection.”
These statements were made during a press conference held jointly with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez in Buenos Aires, where the 7th CELAC summit will be start on Tuesday.
Dialogue, Not Blockade
“Venezuela’s problems will be resolved with dialogue and not with a blockade. We will resolve personal offenses through dialogue and threatening occupation,” the Brazilian President said while referring to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Brasilia and Caracas.
“Every time a comrade has to be criticized, I prefer to give advice instead of criticism,” Lula said.
“What I want for Brazil, I want for Venezuela. I respect the sovereignty and self-determination of my people,” the Workers’ Party leader said, making tacit reference to U.S. interventionism against the Venezuelan government led by President Nicolas Maduro.
Lula also harshly criticized the attempts to destabilize Venezuelan democracy that were carried out by the U.S.-controlled opposition politician Juan Guaido, whose fictitious presidency seized assets from the Venezuelan State.
The Washington-backed harassment against the Bolivarian revolution was also felt the day before the start of the CELAC meeting.
On Monday, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that President Maduro will not be able to attend the Buenos Aires Summit due to a far-right plan to attack his country delegation.
“They intend to put on a ‘deplorable’ show in order to disrupt the positive effects of this important regional event and contribute to the already unsuccessful smear campaign that the U.S. Empire has launched against our country,” the Venezuelan diplomacy said in a statement.
Latin American Movements Reject US Blockade at CELAC Summit
Another teleSUR report said:
On Monday, political and social organizations from the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) carried out activities in favor of regional integration and respect for the sovereignty of the Peoples.
During the morning, the Central of Workers of Argentina (CTA), the Broad Front (FA), the Evita Movement, the Communist Party, La Campora, and other organizations held a joint press conference in Buenos Aires. Then they took part in an act at the Malvinas Museum.
On Thursday, the progressive organizations will deliver a declaration to the presidents who will meet at the 7th CELAC Summit in Buenos Aires, asking them to strengthen integration as an essential condition to achieve independence for Latin American countries.
They also urge governments to seek joint solutions to issues related to the rejection of all kinds of colonialism and the British presence in Argentine territory.
“We reaffirm Argentina’s legitimate rights over the Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich Islands, as well as over the surrounding maritime spaces,” their joint declaration reads.
They rejected the blockade that the U.S has maintained against Cuba for over six decades and demanded respect for the resolutions of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that condemn Washington’s arbitrary policy.
“We repudiate any blockade against any nation, we demand the end of the ongoing blockades, and the definition of reparation mechanisms for those who suffer them,” the progressive organizations pointed out, requesting that Cuba be removed from the list of State sponsors of terrorism.
They also demanded that the CELAC leaders carry out joint actions to demand the dismantling of the U.S. military bases installed in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The joint declaration was also supported by Descamisados, Populismo K, the Network of Intellectuals in Defense of Humanity, the American Association of Jurists, the Juan Peron Organization, Puebla Space, Chile’s Association of Fiscal Employees, the Colombian Union of the State Employees and Public Services Workers, the Brazilian Public Servants Confederation, and the Uruguayan Association of Municipal Employees and Workers.
CELAC Nations Should Become A United Family: Cuban President
The teleSUR said in another report:
On Sunday, Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel arrived in Argentina to participate in the 7th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
“We are already in Argentina, a nation to which we are bound by close ties of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation that we hope to strengthen. I keep pleasant memories of my first visit to the Che’s homeland and unforgettable Argentine affection signs towards Fidel Castro and my country,” Diaz-Canel said.
A few hours earlier, while confirming his participation in the summit, the Cuban leader insisted that CELAC should promote unity within diversity and allow the countries that integrate it to become a united family.
Argentine Vice Foreign Minister Pablo Tettamant received Diaz-Canel at the Ezeiza airport. Before participating in the Summit on Tuesday, the Cuban President will exchange with Argentine authorities, including 60 national entrepreneurs and Development Secretary Jorge Neme.
“Brazil returns to the regional arena and will work to strengthen the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR),” Lula da Silva stated, lamenting that President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2022) removed his country from this integration mechanism.
