Lula and Macron inaugurate submarine built with French technology in Brazil | The Presidents celebrated the strategic alliance between the two countries

President of Brazil Luis Inacio Lula da Silvaand its French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, This Wednesday they celebrated the strategic partnership between their two countries During the unveiling of a Franco-Brazilian submarine near Rio de Janeiro. In the second leg of a three-day trip to Brazil, Macron and Lula met at the Itaguá naval shipyard to launch a conventionally powered submarine built with French cooperation.

The submersible “Donnellero” was baptized by Brazilian first lady Rosangela da Silva with a bottle of sparkling wine. Both leaders emphasized the importance of this partnership in a world marked by wars and global inequality. “These are two important countries, each on a continent, able to live with that diversity without worrying about any kind of war, because we have been the guardians of peace at all times in our history,” Lula said.

Despite differences, particularly over Ukraine, Macron invoked the “same worldview” with Lula. “Brazil and France are the great peaceful powers that must function in an increasingly disordered worldSometimes they should know how to use assertive language to keep the peace,” the French president said.

A nuclear submarine on the horizon

Cooper is the third of four conventionally operational submarines planned under Prosup, a $7.2 billion plan to develop Brazilian submarines and their industry. The last of these models, “Angostura”, destined to protect the 8,500 kilometers of coasts of the Latin American giant, should be launched into the sea in 2025.

The contract with France, which runs until 2008, also provides for a fifth submarine. It will be Brazil's first with nuclear propulsion. “We must open a chapter for new submarines, confront nuclear propulsion head-on, while fully respecting all non-proliferation commitments,” Macron said. “France will be with you,” said the French president with Lula.

Lula said Brazil must have a “highly qualified, ready and armed” armed forces to guarantee peace when needed. Not to mention the coup attempt he suffered in January last year by Bolsonaro militias. Lula said this strength was also necessary to counter the current “hostility” against the democratic process in Brazil. and in other countries around the world.

Lula recalled military cooperation with France Not just the construction of submarines Looking forward to the production of helicopters, Development of a satellite It guarantees Brazil's military communications and procurement of very high capacity computer used in defense sector. “Our association shows Brazil's interest in achieving greater strategic autonomy in the face of numerous conflicts that have arisen in the world,” he said.

EU-Mercosur Agreement

Macron later traveled to Sao Paulo to participate in an economic forum. There he called the free trade agreement negotiated between Mercosur and the EU “very bad”, and proposed creating a new one “responsible from a development, climate and biodiversity point of view”. France is the third largest investor in BrazilWith nearly 38 billion dollars, according to Brazilian government data.

On Tuesday, on the first day of the visit, Macron and Lula announced plans to invest one billion euros ($1.08 billion) in sustainable economic projects in the Brazilian and French-Guyanese Amazon. A meeting between the two in the capital Brasilia on Thursday will take a geopolitical turn.