Mattarella on an official visit to Brazil, celebrating the “synergies” between the two countries

The visit to Brazil by the President of the Republic began today, Sergio Mattarella. The head of state, the first to visit the Amazonian country after the mission carried out in 2000 by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, was received at the presidential palace in Planalto by his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A bilateral meeting that allowed us to celebrate the “synergies” between Italy and Brazil – this year at the helm of the G7 and G20 respectively – on “issues destined to remain at the center of the global political agenda”, said Mattarella speaking to the press at the end of the meeting. “I think about climate change, the energy transition, food security, inequalities,” he said. The two presidents note “with satisfaction the consonances that characterize the work of two such important multilateral fora”. Against this “background”, Mattarella and Lula also addressed contingent issues on the global political agenda starting from the “issues of Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. Rome and Brasilia are “fully in agreement” that there is a “clear need for peace” in the world. For Lula, “the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza demonstrate that renouncing dialogue and diplomacy leads to harmful consequences.”

Italy, underlined Mattarella, “believes that for peace in Ukraine to be just, stable and lasting, it must be built starting from the re-establishment of international law, the principles of the United Nations Charter, the rules on territorial integrity and respect of the sovereignty of states. Nobody wants to humiliate the Russian Federation, but the latter must immediately put an end to the aggression,” the Italian president said. The bilateral meeting also made it possible to “share” the condemnation of the “horrific attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October”, said Mattarella, pointing out that Italy too “is strongly concerned by the immense suffering suffered by the Palestinian civilian population, which has an unacceptable number of victims, including women and children”. The two countries “support the “two-state” solution, the only one capable of opening up a sustainable prospect of peace”.

Mattarella also spoke about the importance of the European Union and Mercosur recognizing the “historical” importance of closing the trade agreement, a rapprochement between two great realities which can also be indispensable as “guarantees of peace in the world”. The president of Brazil, for his part, once again urged the rapid closure of the agreement, provided that it is “balanced” and “contributes to the development of the two regions”. The signing of the document, he added, largely depends on how well Europeans can resolve “their internal contradictions”: “Measures such as the tax on carbon emissions imposed unilaterally by the EU can affect five of the ten most exported Brazilian products towards the Italian market”.

During the meeting, Mattarella continued, it was also noted that “the excellent progress of bilateral relations must be for our countries not only a reason for satisfaction for the goals achieved but above all a stimulus to further deepen collaborations, extending them to all areas of common interest”. In this sense, it is inevitable to mention the “commercial relationships: Italian companies contribute to the economic growth of Brazil, both in mature sectors and in the more advanced and higher value-added fields. A commitment that we intend to support and encourage.” Italy “is an important source of investments for Brazil”, echoed Lula, speaking of the “almost 1.500 Italian companies” in the area, and hailing the “renewed interest of Brazil’s automotive industry”. The president of Brazil recalled the 30 billion reais invested in 2023 by the Stellantis group to expand its factories in the area, but also the Italian bet made in the energy sector, starting with the investment made by Enel in Bahia. The Brazilian president reiterated that “opening new fronts of cooperation does not mean abandoning our traditional collaboration in other sectors”, reporting that “in the past, technological cooperation in the development of the AMX fighter has allowed Embraer to make a leap forward in production of jets” and today the Brazilian aeronautical services company “is able to collaborate with the Italian Air Force by supplying C-390 Millennium aircraft”.

But there is also extensive “collaboration in the cultural field” between the two countries, added Mattarella, speaking of the contaminations and mutual “charm” exercised in the field of the arts. “Just think, for example, of the profound friendship that was established between two protagonists of twentieth-century poetry: Vinicius de Moraes and Giuseppe Ungaretti”. The five-day visit is celebrated in a “particularly significant year for bilateral relations”, recalled the resident of the Quirinale, speaking of two “anniversaries”, the 150th anniversary of the start of Italian migration to Brazil and the 80th anniversary of the landing in Italy, on 16 July 1944, of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force which fought alongside the Allies”. In this sense there is no lack of reference to “the exceptional nature of the binational bond”, “thanks to the presence, in Brazil, of the largest community of Italian ancestry”. Mattarella, who will end the day with an institutional visit to Parliament, will get to know “different realities of this splendid country: In addition to Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Salvador, I will go to Porto Alegre tomorrow. In the State of Rio Grande do Sul I intend to demonstrate Italy’s closeness to the populations affected by the floods, which in recent months have caused numerous victims and extensive damage”.

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