President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said this Monday (25) that it is in Brazil's interest to bring about a rapprochement between Mercosur and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and stated that it will provide the other members of the South American bloc the possibility of a trade agreement with Vietnam. "We also discussed Vietnam's interest in celebrating a trade agreement with Mercosur. I will take the topic to our Mercosur partners, taking advantage of the Brazilian presidency," said Lula in a statement to the press as part of the Vietnamese Prime Minister's visit to Brazil, Phạm Minh Chính "I am sure that we will move forward in this discussion. It is in our interest to bring Mercosur closer to Asean", added Lula.
Lula's speeches come at a time when Mercosur is trying to finalize a trade agreement with the European Union, which the president has been pushing for to be concluded by the end of this year. Mercosur and the EU reached an agreement in 2019, after two decades of negotiations, but it has been suspended due to environmental concerns on the part of European countries. Canada, South Korea, and Singapore are other countries in negotiations for trade agreements with Mercosur.
Lula had already suggested possible agreements with China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and countries in Central America and the Caribbean. He said on Monday that he intends to strengthen Brazil-Vietnam cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, education, and defense, adding that both governments signed agreements covering these areas during the meeting. The agricultural agreement, according to him, will further open the Vietnam market to Brazilian products.
Translated by Cassy Dias