The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned today that the advance of the extreme right threatens Latin American integration and defended the need to reduce the region's dependence on the dollar. Speaking at an event honoring the late Uruguayan president José 'Pepe' Mujica at the Federal University of ABC in São Paulo, Lula stated that regional integration cannot be limited to trade and must also have a political, cultural, scientific, and technological character. In his speech, the Brazilian leader also noted that Latin America, and South America in particular, must take it upon themselves to resolve issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development, without waiting for solutions from foreign powers. 'Nobody is going to solve our problems,' he emphasized. According to Lula, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is practically ceasing to exist, as the growth of the extreme right is leading those countries to stop participating. 'We did not build mechanisms for its maintenance,' said the head of state. Lula also advocated for greater financial autonomy and questioned the region's dependence on the US currency in negotiations. 'Our currencies must be valid in our negotiations. Why depend on the dollar?' he asked.
