Brazils President Lula Meets Macron at G7 Summit to Discuss Defense Cooperation and Maritime Development

Evian, June 16: Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has arrived in France to participate in the G7 summit. On Monday, Lula met with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the summit. He expressed gratitude to Macron for the invitation via a video shared on social media.

In his post on the platform X, President Lula wrote, “Thank you very much to President Emmanuel Macron for the invitation to participate in the G7 summit in Evian. Brazil is returning to this important venue to amplify the voice of the Global South and reaffirm its commitment to peace, multilateralism, sustainable development, and a more just world.”

In another update, Lula reminded Macron that he first attended a G7 summit in Evian back in 2003. He thanked Macron for the invitation and highlighted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of UNITAID, an organization he co-founded with former President Jacques Chirac in 2006.

Lula explained that UNITAID aims to enhance access to medicines for countries in the Global South. It serves as a concrete example of fighting inequalities and ensuring international solidarity.

During their discussions, Lula noted significant progress in defense cooperation between Brazil and France, particularly regarding the success of the Maritime Development Program (PROSUB). They also talked about improving cross-border cooperation between Amapá and French Guiana. Lula mentioned that Macron reiterated France’s interest in participating in Brazil’s efforts to acquire supercomputers, supporting Brazil’s digital sovereignty.

In addition to the G7 countries, Brazil (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), India (Narendra Modi), Kenya (William Ruto), South Korea (Yoon Suk-yeol), and Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky) have also been invited to participate in the discussions. The United Arab Emirates (Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) is also attending the G7, as the region has been adversely affected by conflicts in West Asia. Additionally, mediators Qatar (Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani) and Egypt (Abdel Fattah al-Sisi) will be present at the summit.