A call to "overcome ideological differences". Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva advocated on Tuesday, May 30, the "union" in South America, during a summit bringing together eleven heads of state in Brasilia.

"We have let ideologies divide us and interrupt (regional) integration efforts. We abandoned dialogue and cooperation mechanisms, and we all came out the losers," Lula said in a speech before the closed-door meetings began.

"If we are not united, we will not be able to ensure that South America's development is up to its potential," added the Brazilian president, who began his third term in January at the head of Latin America's leading economic power.

In total, eleven heads of state are meeting in the Brazilian capital for the first such meeting since 2014.

Only the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, is missing. But Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who had not been to Brazil for eight years, is present.

Support for Nicolas Maduro

Lula had described Monday as "historic" the return to grace of the one who was persona non grata in Brazil under the mandate of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022).

He also described as "narrative" the accusations of authoritarianism against the Maduro government, saying that international sanctions against Venezuela were "inexplicable".

Comments criticized by the center-right Uruguayan president, Luis Lacalle Pou, "surprised to hear that what is happening in Venezuela is just a narrative".

"If there are so many groups in the world trying to work for Venezuela to live fully in democracy, for human rights to be respected, for there to be no political prisoners, the worst thing to do would be to turn a blind eye," he insisted.

During his first stint as president of Brazil (2003-2010), the former metal worker had close ties with Hugo Chavez, predecessor and mentor of Nicolas Maduro.

Rediscovering "a common vision"

During his opening speech, Lula also spoke of an "urgency" to renew dialogue in the region in order to put in place "concrete measures for sustainable development, peace and well-being" of the populations.

Gisela Maria Figuereido, head of relations with Latin America and the Caribbean in the Brazilian government, had already said before the summit that the main objective was to find "a common vision" in areas such as health, infrastructure, energy, environment and the fight against organized crime.

For the closed-door meetings in Brasilia, the heads of state are accompanied by their foreign ministers and some advisers, for a "more relaxed" atmosphere, a Brazilian diplomatic source told AFP.

"Even if it is unlikely that this summit will produce concrete announcements, with an innovative vision on the future of the region, the fact that there is a dialogue between these heads of state is already progress in itself," Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, wrote on the Americas Quarterly website.

The last meeting between South American presidents took place in 2014 in Quito, Ecuador, on the occasion of an Unasur summit, created in 2008 by Lula and Hugo Chavez, during the first wave of left-wing governments in the region.

The subsequent conservative shift got the better of this union, and currently only seven of the twelve founding countries remain in Unasur, which Brazil and Argentina only rejoined this year.

But the new pink wave, with the recent elections of Lula in Brazil, Gabriel Boric in Chile and Gustavo Petro in Colombia has changed the situation, paving the way for a return to the scene of Maduro's Venezuela and a new impetus for cooperation between the countries of the region.

With AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news with you everywhere! Download the France 24 app