From Los Angeles
The president of United States, Joe Bidenand his pair from Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, They met this Thursday in Los Angeles in the framework of the IX Summit of the Americas. Was the first bilateral meeting between the two since the Democrat arrived at the White House after an election in which the Brazilian did not hide his support for his rival, the Republican Donald Trump.
Amazonia
From the Los Angeles Convention Center, where the summit is taking place, Biden and Bolsonaro made statements to the press before the meeting. There, the The US president said that “the rest of the world should be able to help” Brazil to “protect as much as it can” the Amazon area. His interlocutor said, instead, that Brazil “preserves its territory very well” and that sometimes he feels that the sovereignty of the South American country is threatened.referring to the continuous criticism it receives from organizations and other countries.
There was no handshake between the two on camera, and Biden looked down several times as Bolsonaro spoke for about seven minutes. His statements had a more domestic tone and included a criticism of the voting system in Brazilwhich will hold elections in October this year. Instead, Biden had praised Brazil’s “inclusive democracy” and “strong electoral institutions.” The far-right president also took the opportunity to defend his decision to remain neutral in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Leaders Plenary
Biden opened this Thursday the plenary of leaders of the summit, the central space of the regional meeting. The US president called on the countries of the Americas to “work together” and said that the United States “is ready to work and partner” with others to achieve a “recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
In his opening speech, he summarized all the issues proposed by the host country and that he intends to discuss in the meetings that will continue this Friday. In particular, Biden referred to the declaration on migration for which he hopes to obtain all the signatures by the end of the summit. A “transformative” approach, “unprecedented”, he called it. One that “emphasizes the sharing” of responsibilities, he added, with nations “coming together to invest in solutions that embrace stability” and “combat human trafficking that feeds on the desperate.”
Biden also shared his “vision” for America, the same one, he said, he had shared with the Obama administration when he was its vice president and was charged with taking charge of the relationship with the rest of the continent. This vision is of a “middle class, safe, democratic region from Canada to Chile and everything in between”. “My fundamental vision has not changed. There is no reason why the Western Hemisphere should not be the most visionary and democratic region in the world,” he added. Before concluding, Biden stated: “No matter what happens in the world, America will always be a priority for the United States.”
excluded
At the opening of the plenary, the Prime Minister of Belize, Juan Antonio Briceno, questioned the “inexcusable” and “incomprehensible” exclusion of countries at the summit, referring to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. “It is geography, not politics, that defines America,” he said. He was not the only one. With a harsher speech, the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, lamented the absences. “I regret that not all of us who should have been present were able to be present, in this environment that is so conducive to debate,” he said.
The Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo CohenInstead, he shared a speech aligned with the US tone for the summit. He called for “moving to concrete actions and responding to the enormous challenges with one voice” and considered that “the irregular migration crisis is rooted in the lack of opportunities” in the countries of origin. “We are in order,” she said. The president of Paraguay also spoke, Mario Abdo Benitezand the Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, Antonio Guterres. The intervention of the Mexican foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrardbut the official Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador He withdrew from the plenary and postponed his speech for this Friday.
After the speeches, Biden returned to the stage and made a brief mention of the criticism for the exclusion of countries. “I think we started off strong,” she said. “I have heard many important ideas and, despite some disagreements related to participation, in the substantive issues what I heard was unity and uniformity”, he added in reference to migration and environment.
Meeting with an ally
This Thursday, Biden also met with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. At the Los Angeles Convention Center, they spoke about regional cooperation for economic development, the Covid-19 pandemic, migration and food security, as announced by the White House.
“As major energy producers, both Canada and the United States play a key role in supporting the security and resiliency of supply chains, but the leaders also emphasized a shared commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 to lessen our dependence on of fossil fuels”.
“The president and the prime minister highlighted their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its brutal actions in Ukraine”, adds the statement released after the meeting. Biden and Trudeau also spoke about the sanctions against Russia and the efforts of both countries for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. The two will meet again in Europe at the end of the month at the G7 meeting in Germany and the NATO summit in Spain.
At the meeting, Biden thanked Trudeau for his support of the Alliance for Economic Prosperity in the Americasthe economic proposal that the US president presented at the summit, and the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, the main document that the host country promotes at this summit.
In English and French, Trudeau echoed Biden’s remarks, saying the two countries are working to “make the case that democracy is not only fairer but better for citizens to put food on the table and put a future in front of them.” ”.
entrepreneurs
This Thursday, Biden also spoke at the IV CEO Forum, one of the official spaces of the summit intended for the business sector. Over there again criticized “the economics of the spill”: “It doesn’t work, it keeps you in a smaller and smaller world, with the same results: greater inequality, slower growth, less competition and less innovation.”
Before businessmen, Biden highlighted the ability of the private sector to “move quickly.” “When we combine the government’s ability to target economic activity to specific challenges, to help mitigate risks, to guard against unfair practices, and to create predictable demand, with the agility of the private sector, I think we can deliver real improvement. in people’s lives,” he added.
This Friday, the summit will conclude with two new plenary meetings of leaders and a series of round tables. The main focus will be on immigrationa subject on which The United States wants to achieve a joint declaration to distribute responsibilities on this problem.