MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula lands in Washington for Biden meeting

Lula and Biden will discuss democracy, human rights and the environment

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva arrived Thursday in the United States for a meeting at the White House with his US colleague Joseph Biden Friday, Agencia Brasil reported.

The presidential aircraft also carried First Lady Janja Lula Da Silva to Washington in addition to Environment Minister Marina Silva, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, and Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, according to Reuters, citing Itamaraty (Brazil’s Foreign Ministry) sources.

Lula's trip marks the resumption of relations between the two countries, which in 2024 will complete 200 years of diplomacy. The United States and Brazil were very close under Presidents Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro but after Biden's victory, South America's largest country was cast aside by the new Democratic administration.

Before meeting with Biden, Lula is also expected to hold talks with Senator Bernie Sanders and representatives of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

According to Itamaraty, the agenda for the meeting with Biden will focus on three issues: democracy, human rights, and the environment. The two presidents are expected to discuss how both countries can continue to work together to promote inclusion and democratic values in the region and the world.

Meanwhile, the White House said in a statement that Biden and Lula would discuss how the two countries can continue to work together to promote inclusion and democratic values in the region and around the world, particularly in the lead-up to a March 2023 Summit for Democracy.

Lula took office on Jan. 1 after narrowly defeating the far-right Bolsonaro in the October runoffs. On Jan. 8, scores of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the capital and trashed main government buildings, demanding that the leftist president’s election be overturned. Biden condemned the action and pledged US assistance.

They will also “address common challenges, including combating climate change, safeguarding food security, encouraging economic development, strengthening peace and security, and managing regional migration,” the White House's statement read.