Lula receives Maduro at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, May 29, 2023. Photo: AFP

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, was received on Monday at the Planalto Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Executive, by his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Venezuelan president arrived in Planalto at 10:40 [local time], accompanied by his wife, Cilia Flores. They climbed the ramp of the building and were greeted by Lula and the Brazilian first lady, Rosângela da Silva, better known as Janja.

The meeting is divided into two parts, a private meeting for about an hour and an extended appointment later, according to the agenda of the Presidency of Brazil.

Then, the leaders will sign some documents and, later, Lula plans a luncheon in honor of Maduro and his wife.

Lula resumed diplomatic relations between Brazil and Venezuela as soon as he assumed the presidency last January. These ties were severed during the previous administration of Jair Bolsonaro.

📹 #EnVivo | President @NicolasMaduro is received with honors at the Planalto Palace.https://t.co/gbEm92pMaB

— Presidential Press (@PresidencialVen) May 29, 2023

Meeting of Presidents

Maduro arrived Sunday in the Brazilian capital, where he was received with honors. In addition to the meeting with Lula on Monday, the Venezuelan president will participate on Tuesday in the Summit of the Countries of South America.

That meeting is intended to discuss "the future" of the region, Lula said Monday through his Twitter account.

"No country grows alone. We have to work with our neighbors to build alliances for the economic development of the region, strengthening cultural ties and defending democracy," he emphasized.

"I am grateful for the warm welcome with which we were received in Brasilia, capital of the Federative Republic of Brazil. In the coming hours we will be developing a diplomatic agenda that reinforces the necessary union of the peoples of our continent. Be aware!" posted Maduro on social media.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lula and Maduro should discuss progress in the process of normalization of bilateral relations, which began on January 1. "At the meeting, the two leaders should examine priority issues for the deepening of dialogue in all areas of the relationship," the official note said.

He pointed out that, "in that sense, the presidents will discuss the results of the recent multidisciplinary mission to the Venezuelan capital, organized by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency and which included representatives of more than 20 Brazilian government bodies."

Similarly, "special attention will be paid to border issues, highlighting the protection of the populations residing in that strip, including the Yanomami indigenous peoples."

Last week, Lula received the credentials of the new Venezuelan ambassador to Brazil, Manuel Vicente Vadell, in an act that formalized the restoration of relations between the two countries.

Vadell was appointed by Maduro even before the inauguration of the founder of the Workers' Party last December.

After the ceremony, the Venezuelan president said that the normalization of ties between Brazil and his country is "a great step" that constitutes "a new starting point for the consolidation of the union between the two brother peoples."

The presence of a new Venezuelan ambassador to the South American giant concludes a three-year period in which the neighboring country did not have diplomatic representatives recognized by the Brazilian government.

This absence was due to the fact that the administration (2019-2022) of former President Jair Bolsonaro decided to recognize the parallel government of self-styled President Juan Guaidó and, consequently, his allies as legitimate diplomats.

Lula's arrival to power put an end to a policy of hostilities against Caracas, initiated by Bolsonaro's Executive, which included the closure of the Brazilian embassy in Venezuela and the expulsion of Venezuelan diplomats in this country.

(With information from RT en Español and Prensa Latina)