South American Summit Held in Brazil... "Ideological Divisions Must Be Overcome"

The South American Summit, attended by top leaders from 12 countries in South America including Brazil, was held on the 30th (local time) at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia.

The meeting was attended by Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva and the presidents of 11 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela, as well as the chairperson of Peru's Council of Ministers. Peru's President Dina Boluarte, who is experiencing a political crisis, did not attend.

On the 30th (local time), the South American Summit was held at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

At the opening ceremony that morning, President Lula called for overcoming ideology and achieving integration among South American countries.

President Lula stated, "We have allowed ideology to divide us," and emphasized the need to redefine a shared vision and have a concrete vision for the welfare of our people, appealing to heal conflicts between nations and promote integration.

He also expressed his intention to resume discussions on establishing regional integration organizations such as the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) or the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).

Particularly, the most notable issue at this meeting was the attendance of Venezuelan President Nicol?s Maduro, who is isolated in the international community due to sanctions by Western countries. There were disagreements among member countries regarding Venezuela's participation.

President Lula showed support for Venezuela's return to the international stage during a summit with President Maduro the previous day, saying, "If Venezuela (government) builds its own narrative, it will be able to effectively change people's thoughts."

In response, Uruguayan President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou raised an objection during the morning session, saying, "I was surprised that what is happening in Venezuela was described as a narrative."

Currently, most presidents in South America, except for the governments of Uruguay and Paraguay, are left-leaning figures.