Olaf Scholz has arrived at the last stop on his trip to South America. In Brazil he meets the new President Lula da Silva. Unlike his predecessor, he has set himself the goal of slowing down the deforestation of the rainforest. Germany wants to help with this.
After the change of power in Brazil, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to open a new chapter in relations with the largest and most populous country in Latin America. “We are all happy that Brazil is back on the world stage,” said Scholz at a press conference with the new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília. “You were missed, dear Lula,” he added. He is now looking forward to a good and long cooperation. After these words, Lula spontaneously hugged Scholz.
The 77-year-old left-wing politician Lula prevailed in a runoff election in October against the right-wing extremist Jair Bolsonaro, who is also known as the “Donald Trump of the tropics”. Lula was sworn in on January 1 in the presence of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Scholz is then the first head of government to visit the new president in the capital Brasília.
Lula has committed to fighting climate change and wants to slow down the deforestation of the rainforest. Scholz promised him support and spoke of a new partnership against climate change. For the autumn, the Chancellor announced a resumption of the German-Brazilian government consultations, which were suspended after the premiere in 2015 during Bolsonaro’s government.
With a view to the attacks on government institutions in Brasília on January 8 this year, Scholz assured the President of his support in defending democracy. “Democrats must stand together,” he said. This is “a reminder that we must do everything we can to defend democracy”.
On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government district in Brasília. They briefly seized the control centers of the country’s most important branches of government: They broke into Congress, the Supreme Court and the government seat Palácio do Planalto, rioted in offices and boardrooms and left a trail of destruction in their wake. The police seemed completely taken by surprise. The traces were still visible when the Chancellor visited the Presidential Palace. The window front was repaired in some places with wooden panels.