Last Monday the 14th, the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed the importance of the strategic alliance initiated with Venezuela in order to guarantee the development of South America’s economic potential.

In his speech, delivered during the opening of the Binational Entrepreneurial Business Forum, in the Ayacucho Hall of the Miraflores Presidential Palace, the Brazilian president called upon the Brazilian and Venezuelan business sectors: “Associate, do business, generate income and jobs. Your individual achievement will also mean success for all of us. Because, as president Chávez has said, united we will attain higher levels of freedom”.

What we are doing is consolidating the aims of those who struggled for freedom in Venezuela, of those who fought for the independence of Brazil, of those who dreamt of two sovereign, free, and autonomous nations, of those who dreamt of the self determination of their peoples. What we are doing here is establishing and consolidating a profound strategic alliance which stands out the potentials of both nations, their scientific and technological know-how, and which includes the possibility of mutual help between both nations.

According to da Silva, this strategic alliance “must be made so solid that when neither da Silva nor Chávez is here, the governments and societies of Venezuela and Brazil are so convinced of this process, that the alliance lasts throughout time, in order for both nations to be able to take advantage of the wealth with which God has bestowed us with”.

– I think that if we have conscience and act boldly, we will be able to make of the XXI century, the century of Venezuela, Brazil, South America, and Latin America.

In this way, the Brazilian president indicated that Brazil can not let this opportunity pass us by, since “we can not change the world’s commercial geography”, and thus “we must establish policies of complementation, believe more in ourselves, in our peoples’ creativity, their knowledge, and productive capacity”. This depends only and exclusively on our willingness.
– With our bold political actions, our perseverance, and above all, our patience, we will take a gigantic step and all of us will realize that the dreams of Simón Bolívar are much closer to our reach.
– Strategic Alliances as the only Solution
– “Businessmen, you should not be fearful of making alliances, the solution for the economies of other nations of South America, is not in the North, is not across the ocean, it’s in our integration, in the confidence we will have in ourselves”, asserted the president of Brazil.

– Regarding this, he insisted on the importance of making strategic alliances at all levels of activity, “because if there is any legacy the Republic can leave for its people, is that some years from now, someone can say that thanks to the actions by Chávez, Kirchner, Lula, Toledo and so many other president South America, at last reached its political and economic majority, adopting freedom, sovereignty, and self-confidence as tools for development and distribution of wealth”.

– With the promotion and increase of bilateral business, we will be working “for the immense potential of our region and in pursuit of our own solutions, in the face of the challenges of our development that we hope will take place in benefit of our population”.

That is why “today’s event is special, because it takes place at a moment in which both governments have decided to make the dream of establishing a real strategic alliance come true”, which will result in “unprecedented complementarity between our two economies. Proof of this is the significant recuperation of our commercial trade, from 880 million U$ in 2003 to 1.6 billion U$ in 2004”.

In Support of the Bolivarian Government

President da Silva took advantage of the occasion to reconfirm his support for the Venezuelan Head of State and his conduction of the government, since it is “a very good moment in Venezuelan politics”

He expressed his solidarity with president Chávez and all of the Venezuelan people in the face of the recent disasters caused by the heavy rains, assuring that “we are willing to help you in whatever is possible”. Furthermore, he congratulated the president for his wisdom in handling the diplomatic impasse with the Colombian government, and also manifested “the pride I take in knowing that the Referendum consolidated the most important moment in Venezuelan democracy”.

–  “I think that political discrepancies are inherent to democracy, and they will always exist wherever there is democracy. In fact, they only exist where there is democracy. The Venezuelan people gave extraordinary proof that it is the owner of its own nose, of its own conscience, and of its deeds.
–  Finally, the Brazilian president estimated that “today we see the Venezuelan economy grow, and a government that is concerned about the country’s industrialization, and that additionally makes efforts to take advantage of the immense amount of petroleum that lies in its country’s territory”.