President Lula received the President of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, at the Palácio do Planalto this Monday (16). At the meeting, the leaders signed a cooperation and integration agreement in the areas of tourism, energy and security.
To prevent and punish drug and human trafficking, smuggling and other crimes at the border, a treaty was signed between the countries to combat organized crime. Agreements were also signed in the areas of infrastructure, energy and tourism.
In tourism, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the area, which provides for the exchange of information, joint promotion of destinations and professional qualification in the sector. According to Lula, the intention is to allow more Bolivian tourists to visit Brazil and for Brazilians to visit the so-called “Andean Copacabana, a historic city on the banks of Lake Titicaca”.
In a press release, Lula stated that Brazil and Bolivia have been working to expand economic cooperation.
“Brazil is today Bolivia’s second trading partner. But bilateral trade is still far below its potential. In 2013, we had an exchange of 5 and a half billion dollars. Last year, this value was just 2.6 billion”, commented Lula.
With the war in the Middle East impacting oil, the Brazilian president also defended the expansion of the partnership with Bolivia – the country is our main supplier of natural gas. Regarding the environment, the Brazilian head of state classified Bolivia and Brazil as guardians of the Amazon.
