Lula da Silva will speed up Bolivia’s accession to Mercosur if he wins, says former minister

Former Brazilian President socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged Monday to Bolivian President Luis Arce to speed up the Andean country’s accession to Mercosur if he wins the October elections for which he is considered the favorite, according to former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.

“Lula da Silva, if elected, has committed to accelerating Bolivia’s integration into Mercosur, which is very important for international relations,” Amorim said after the meeting between Lula and Arce at a hotel in São Paulo.

The process of Bolivia’s accession to Mercosur, which began a decade ago, has already been completed by Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, but still needs to be ratified by the Brazilian Congress.

Amorim, who was foreign minister during the eight years Lula da Silva was in power (2003-2010), pointed out that the Brazilian Congress is “sovereign,” but stressed that if Lula da Silva wins the election, he will make “efforts” to ensure that the legislature approves Bolivia’s full membership in the regional group.

“I have no doubt that Lula da Silva will make this effort; it is very important for Bolivia and for us,” Amorim assured journalists.

The diplomat stressed that Bolivia’s accession as a full member of Mercosur will “facilitate” contacts with the Andean Community (CAN), which, he pointed out, “will be strengthened.”

“There was a meeting in Peru and they are talking about the accession of Argentina, the return of Chile, which was only there at the beginning, and Venezuela,” said Amorim, who stressed that Bolivia acts as a “hinge” in the region.

In addition to South American integration, Lula and Arce also discussed economic issues such as “the possibility of investing in infrastructure,” the “gas problem” – which Brazil imports from the Andean country – as well as participation in industrial projects and cooperation with lithium, of which Bolivia has large deposits.

The leader of the Workers’ Party and the Bolivian president also exchanged experiences on social programs and the fight against hunger, and discussed the Amazon, which the two countries share.

Lula is a candidate in the Oct. 2 presidential election, and polls put him more than 10 percentage points ahead of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro less than a month before the elections.