The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, affirmed that Javier Milei must apologize to him and his country because he said “a lot of nonsense.”
“I did not speak with the president of Argentina because I think he has to apologize to Brazil and me. He said a lot of nonsense, I just want him to apologize. And Argentina is a country that I like a lot, it is a very important country for Brazil and Brazil is very important for Argentina and It is not a president of the republic who is going to create a gap between the two countries“, he stated in statements to the UOL portal.
Milei had treated Lula like “communist and corrupt” and that is why “he was imprisoned”, in an interview with Jaime Bayly before being elected president. Right there, when asked if he would have diplomatic relations with “the communist dictatorships in the region” in relation to Lula and Maduro, the libertarian said “no, he would condemn them.”
He also said that he would not meet with the Brazilian president because “he is a communist and corrupt” and that “that’s why he was imprisoned.”
“From my position as head of state, my allies are the United States, Israel and the free world,” Milei concluded.
Despite these strong statements by the Argentine, the Government came out this Wednesday to respond to Lula. Manuel Adorni, presidential spokesman, said that the apology “is within his wishes,” referring to the Brazilian, and that they respect it but that “The President has not committed anything that he has to regret“.
He also said that at the G7 “they met in a casual meeting and greeted each other cordially” and that “they did not speak”, but that he did not have much more to say.
Milei and Lula will have the chance to cross paths again and perhaps engage in dialogue for the first time at the Mercosur summit that will take place between July 4 and 8 in Asunción, Paraguay.
In any case, according to the UOL portal itself that interviewed the president of the neighboring country, Lula does not want problems with Milei and “does not want to pressure him” because there is currently an issue that is very delicate for the Brazilian government, such as that of the Brazilians convicted of the attempted coup d’état who traveled to Argentina in search of political asylum.
According to the site, the issue “has the potential to cause problems between neighboring countries if the ultraliberal government accepts the 80 requests for political refuge made to Argentina by those convicted and investigated for the coup.” He also warns that the Brazilian government has already indicated that it will present extradition requests and that last week, the Argentine Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, sent a list of more than 60 fugitives investigated or convicted for the attacks of January 8.
The number of fugitives is estimated to be even higher because many of them entered the neighbouring country illegally. Around ten people have already left Argentina.
In this regard, Lula defended the arrest of those 60 fugitives and said that “if they don’t want to come, let them stay there, let them stay in Argentina. If not, let them come here.” The issue, he said, is being handled “in the most diplomatic way possible.”
“There is a part that has already been condemned, that part is being discussed by both Minister Lewandowski and Andrey, from the Federal Police, plus Mauro Vieira, from Itamaraty,” he added.
