President Lula met this Monday (29) with the dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and stated that the meeting is a "historical moment" because it reflects the resumption of "a serious foreign policy".
Isolated by his authoritarian turn, Maduro has not been to Brazil since 2015, still under the government of Dilma Rousseff.
This Tuesday, he is taking part in a meeting proposed by Lula with South American presidents, to resume integration plans.
Lula called the transformation of Venezuela into a dictatorship a "narrative" and spoke of a "misconception" about the veto, in the administration of Jair Bolsonaro, to authorities in the neighboring country.
The opposition criticized the visit. Former vice-president Hamilton Mourão said it was a "source of shame for the Brazilian people".
Venezuelan leader Juan Guaidó, who was recognized as president by Bolsonaro and was called an "impostor" by Lula, has told Folha that Lula "destabilizes" the region.
With the resumption of diplomatic relations, Venezuela will have to present a plan to pay a debt of around US$ 1 billion in financing from the BNDES development bank.
Translated by Cassy Dias