Sánchez and Lula call for peace and democracy from progressive 'trenches'

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Lula da Silva have called for peace and democracy from the progressive “trenches” to give “hope to the world.”

"We want to close some open wounds,” Sánchez said in a press conference after the first Spain-Brazil summit in Barcelona on Friday.

The pair kicked off events for the international summit of progressive leaders, taking place this weekend in Barcelona.

The Spain-Brazil summit is the first meeting of this type with a Latin American country. As such, the Spanish government wants to highlight the importance that Brazil has for Spain, and the close relationship between Sánchez and Lula.

Both will chair the Meeting in Defense of Democracy on Saturday, in an event that is projected as being a progressive alternative to Donald Trump and the far-right across the world.

Ahead of Saturday's meeting, Sánchez advocated for “redoubled” efforts for a “renewed” multilateralism in the face of “confrontation and wars.”

“We are in the same trench,” Lula said, admitting that there are fewer and fewer progressive leaders. In any case, the Brazilian leader believes it necessary to “give hope to the world” in the face of the resurgence of “Nazism and fascism.”

Lula noted that “democracy is weakening” and extremism is “gaining strength.”

The Spanish president urged Europe and Latin America to unite to send a “message of cooperation, openness, mutual trust and shared prosperity.”

“It's possible to govern for the social majority, to extend rights without giving up economic growth,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez described the first Spain-Brazil summit as “historic,” where fifteen agreements were signed, including a pact for critical minerals.

The event was hosted at the Palau de Pedralbes, where Lula and Sánchez demonstrated their “great political harmony.”

The summit started mid-morning with a bilateral meeting between the presidents and, in parallel, a series of bilateral sectoral meetings of the respective ministers.

Catalan president Salvador Illa also welcomed Sánchez and Lula upon their arrival at the Palau de Pedralbes, which is another official headquarters building of the Catalan government.

President Illa welcomed him to Catalonia and conveyed to him the “honor” of welcoming him here.