MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula enacts law designating Belém as capital of Brazil during COP30

Lula will travel to the Celac-EU summit in Colombia before returning to Belém

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed into law a bill making Belém, in the state of Pará, the capital of the South American country for the duration of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) between Nov. 11 and 21. The measure has been published in the Diário Oficial da União (Official Gazette).

According to the government, the temporary transfer is symbolic and political in nature, and “reinforces the relevance of the Amazon on the international environmental agenda,” while also highlighting the country’s commitment to global climate issues.

All acts and orders issued during this period, including those of the President of Brazil and his ministers, will be registered in the capital of Pará. During this time, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches may establish themselves in the city of Belém to carry out their institutional and governmental activities.

A similar case occurred in 1992, when the federal capital was temporarily transferred to Rio de Janeiro during the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92).

Lula, who has been in Pará since Nov. 1, will attend the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and the European Union (EU) in Santa Marta, Colombia, on Sunday (Nov. 9). It will be the appropriate setting, he said, to discuss US military movements in the Caribbean region and off the coast of Venezuela.

In an interview with international agencies in Belém, Lula admitted to having discussed the matter with US President Donald Trump during their meeting in Malaysia last month. At the time, Lula offered to act as an intermediary between the US and Venezuela.

“The Celac meeting only makes sense at this point if we're going to discuss the issue of American warships here in Latin American waters. I had the opportunity to talk to President Trump about this issue, telling him that Latin America is a zone of peace,” said Lula.

“We are a zone of peace; we don’t need war here. The problem in Venezuela is a political problem that should be resolved through politics,” he added.

The Celac-EU summit is taking place at a time of tension in the Caribbean. Trump's administration has attacked boats in the region, claiming to be combating drug trafficking to the US. In turn, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro argues that Washington is interested in the country’s oil reserves and that the military reinforcement in the region is aimed at removing him from power.

The gathering summit will bring together leaders from the 27 nations of the European Union and the 33 nations of Celac, focusing on resuming bi-regional dialogue and negotiations on the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. The meeting continues until Nov. 10, but Lula will only participate on the first day and will return to Belém for the opening of COP30. (Source: Agencia Brasil)