Brazil will expand efforts for an agreement between Mercosur and South Korea

“We decided to create a working group that will identify sensitivities on both sides and prevent them from being an obstacle to the resumption of negotiations for a Mercosur agreement with Korea,” said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a statement to the press this Monday (27), after receiving South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung at Palácio da Alvorada.

According to Lula, the group's coordinator will be the vice-president of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin.

The South Korean president also highlighted the possibility of an agreement with Mercosur. For him, the agreement will be beneficial, both for the industry in his country and for Brazil in the Asian market as a whole. In his speech, he cited “uncertainties in the commercial sphere” when talking about the agreement. Currently, Brazil is experiencing trade tension with the United States, one of its largest trading partners, due to tariffs applied by the North American country. In this context, Jae-Myung stated that the partnership between Brazil and Korea is immediate.

"At a time when there are many uncertainties in the commercial sphere, the agreement between Brazil and Korea can no longer wait. It is for now. We believe that the agreement between Mercosur and Korea will bring Korean companies a greater opportunity to enter the South American market and bring a new perspective to the Asian market to Brazil, via Korea."

The two countries signed trade agreements in several areas, such as defense, education and energy. Lula and Jae-Myung discussed critical minerals, and the South Korean president highlighted Brazil's supply of this resource.

"As you know, Brazil is one of the main holders of critical minerals. And today President Lula and I agreed to expand cooperation throughout the life cycle of critical minerals in the supply chain of these minerals. Through this agreement, we will create a stable supply base, strengthening mutual cooperation in a beneficial way."

The South Korean president will still travel to São Paulo, where he is expected to visit a metalworkers union. Brazil is the country that receives the most Koreans in Latin America. And it is in São Paulo that the largest Korean community in the country resides, with more than 50 thousand people.

Agreements

An agreement was also signed to exchange experiences in educational policies and bring educational institutions from both countries closer together.

Furthermore, Brazil and Korea signed a memorandum of understanding to establish cooperation between the agencies for the exploration and undertaking of peaceful space activities.

In the field of science and technology, an agreement was signed to promote cooperation in research, development and innovation applied to the industrial sector.

In the area of sport, there is an agreement for exchanges between athletes and experts, in addition to the sharing of experiences in public policies.

Sovereignty and peace

The two presidents, in their statements, expressed themselves in favor of the peaceful resolution of conflicts. While Lula spoke about defending democracy in the face of attacks by extremists, Jae-Myung reinforced the idea of ??establishing peace.

"We both knew how to defend our democracies against attacks from extremist sectors. We will continue building a world governed by dialogue, respect between nations and the strengthening of multilateralism", said Lula.

"I reiterate the strong belief of the Korean government that peace is important for us to have security. Without the need for fighting or war. And President Lula agrees with us in this sense", declared the South Korean.

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