President of Brazil cautious about mediating between Venezuela and Guyana, Bloomberg reports
Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil (Photo: Getty Images)
President of Brazil Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, who crafted an image of himself as a peacemaker, is wary of mediating in the conflict between Venezuela and Guyana, according to Bloomberg.
Unnamed Brazilian officials told Bloomberg that the Brazilian president's fear of mediating between Venezuela and Guyana is explained by his camaraderie with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Lula has also been a traditional ally of the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez.
At the same time, as sources clarified, Lula da Silva has come to terms with the fact that his country will have to intervene in de-escalating the conflict between the Latin American countries.
According to the material, the situation could be further complicated if Maduro asks the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to also intervene in the situation at a possible meeting in Moscow this month.
Officials said that the main task for the President of Brazil now is to show that his country is not an automatic ally of Venezuela, despite his friendship with Maduro.
It is expected that Lula will insist on resolving the issue through diplomatic negotiations, attempting to defuse tensions.
The Brazilian government wants to avoid a war near its borders because, as one official stated, in such a situation, everything could very easily spiral out of control.
Background
It's worth noting that previously, the President of Brazil wanted to mediate between Ukraine and Russia. He also devised his own peaceful plan.
Preceding this, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro initiated the annexation process of Essequibo, a region in neighboring Guyana where oil and gas were discovered. This region constitutes two-thirds of the country's territory.
To achieve this, the Venezuelan president decided to hold a referendum in the country.
Following this, the possibility of war between Venezuela and Guyana began to be considered.
