The leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Iratxe García, will lead a mission to Latin America aimed at strengthening cooperation with leaders in three key countries: Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
Iratxe García will be travelling with S&D vice-president for foreign affairs Pedro Marques; S&D MEP Javi López, co-chair of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat); and S&D MEP Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, the S&D coordinator for Eurolat, and together they will be visiting São Paulo, Santiago and Buenos Aires between August 25 and September 3.
They will be holding a series of high-level meetings, including with Argentinian president Alberto Fernández and former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as key government representatives, members of parliament, civil society, workers’ unions and women’s organisations.
García said:“It is time to strengthen our cooperation with Latin America. We the Socialists and Democrats have been insisting for a long time on the need to take this partnership to the next level and to intensify our contacts with the region at all levels.
“The political momentum, with a shift towards progressive governments in Latin America, puts us at the centre of a joint effort to push for our shared global values: human dignity, equality, social justice, human rights, sustainability and reinforcing multilateralism.
“Now Putin’s war against Ukraine and its global consequences make it even more evident that a political alliance with a progressive agenda is needed across the Atlantic, but also jointly at a global level.
“Brazil has an enormous potential and responsibility. When he was president, Lula showed that it is possible to protect the environment, reduce inequalities and bring millions of people out of poverty. Just like in Europe, there are right-wing populistic forces denying global threats like the climate emergency and biodiversity losses, and undermining democracy. Lula brings hope for a better future.
“So does the new government in Chile. In Santiago, we want to support the new democratic impetus, with the constitutional process, led by the young generation. While turning a new page in their democracy, Chileans also show how important it is to keep the memory of the dictatorship’s atrocities alive, as the best vaccine against human-rights violations and extreme-right movements.
“We are also going to Argentina, which will be hosting the upcoming EU-Latin America ministerial meeting in October and is also an important G20 partner. We want to support the recovery efforts of President Alberto Fernández, and meet the brave Argentinian women who are leading a new feminist movement in Latin America.”
