The inauguration of the new binational bridge, between Brazil and Paraguay, occurred in a fragmented manner and exposed diplomatic noise between the two governments. This Saturday, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña stated that the lack of alignment left a “bitter taste”.
On Friday (19), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva alone inaugurated the Brazilian side of the Integration Bridge, which connects Foz do Iguaçu to Presidente Franco. Peña only participated in the ceremony held this Saturday (20), after his presence at the Mercosur summit.
According to EFE News Agency, during his speech at the bloc’s meeting, the Paraguayan president acknowledged shared responsibility for the disagreement. Still, he regretted that the foreign ministries of Brazil and Paraguay were unable to reach an agreement for a joint act.
Peña even suggested exchanging phone numbers with Lula to avoid new impasses. The proposal aimed at the upcoming inauguration of the bridge between Porto Murtinho, in Mato Grosso do Sul, and Carmelo Peralta, in the Paraguayan Chaco. This structure forms part of a strategic commercial connection route between Brazil and the ports of Chile, passing through northern Argentina, and plays a central role in regional integration projects.
Faced with the Paraguayan demonstration, Lula responded by attributing the episode to bureaucracy. The statement provoked laughter among summit participants, according to the official broadcast from the Paraguayan government.
Peña also recalled that Lula received him three times after his election, in 2023, even before taking office. Since then, however, neither president has made state visits to neighboring countries.
Lula attributes separate ceremonies of the binational bridge to agenda commitments
During the inauguration in Brazil, Lula stated that he decided to maintain the schedule to avoid further delay in the delivery of the work. According to the president, Peña faced a family problem in Asunción, while he needed to return to Brasília. “So I open the Brazilian side, he opens the Paraguayan side, and Brazil wins and Paraguay wins”, he stated.
Named the Jaime Lerner Integration Bridge, the work establishes the second road connection between Brazil and Paraguay in the region, more than 60 years after the inauguration of the Friendship Bridge. The structure was completed in 2022, but remained inoperative due to the absence of customs, access and inspection systems on both sides of the border.
The total investment approaches R$2 billion, with financing shared between Brazil and Paraguay and contributions from Itaipu Binacional. The release of traffic will occur gradually. From Saturday night (20), only empty trucks began to circulate between 10pm and 5am. On January 18, chartered tour buses will be allowed to travel from 7pm to 7am. There is still no forecast for the release of cars and motorcycles.
During the ceremony held on Friday (19), a technical problem interrupted the Brazilian president’s speech after a failure in the stage’s power generator. Lula came down to greet the audience and commented on the episode the following day: “Yesterday there was a lack of energy in my speech, I hope there is no lack of energy in my speech today”.
