Venezuela and Brazil resume cooperation in security matters

The presidents of Venezuela and Brazil, Nicolás Maduro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced on Monday that both nations would establish new protocols on border security, thus sealing the resumption of bilateral cooperation in this area.

From the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, accompanied by his Brazilian counterpart, Maduro said: “We have to resume something that should never have been broken, cooperation in defense security should never in life have been broken”.

Relations between Venezuela and Brazil were suspended from 2019 until this year after former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro disowned the legally constituted authorities in Venezuela.

During Maduro’s first official visit to his Brazilian counterpart, the Venezuelan head of state regretted that there were “four years of incommunication on security and defense issues, now there are problems that have worsened on the border”.

The Venezuelan President informed that in the next few days, a ministerial meeting will be held between the heads of defense and security of both countries to coordinate specific actions to advance in the territorial border control for the peace of both nations.

He detailed that the main topic of such a meeting will be “the defense of the border population and the fight against crime, drug trafficking and all forms of criminality that may exist”.

The Brazilian president also referred to the need to resume and reinforce a joint experience that he described as successful: the South American Defense Council.

Lula da Silva pointed out that this body was voted unanimously by all the countries of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) and considered that it should urgently resume its operations “to be able to fight drug trafficking and protect our extensive borders”.

“Our Armed Forces must work together to ensure the sovereignty of our countries”, said the Brazilian head of state.

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