Bolsonaro Says Macron-Lula Meeting a 'Provocation'
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After the meeting between Lula and Macron in Paris, Bolsonaro denounced Macron for the "provocation" of meeting with Brazil's leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last week in Paris.
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Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro
Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro chided, on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron for the "provocation" of meeting with Brazil's leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last week in Paris.
In a radio interview, Bolsonaro commented on the meeting by saying, "It does seem like a provocation".
"(Macron) is more interested in having a passive, corrupt person like Lula - an ally of his - than someone like me (leading Brazil) in the future," he added.
Bolsonaro’s split with Macron
A former union leader who served as President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, Lula is widely expected to run against Bolsonaro, though he hasn't officially declared his candidacy.
Last week, Macron hosted Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, at the Elysee Palace in a rare show of support for Bolsonaro's main opponent in the October 2022 election.
In an official statement after the meeting at the French presidential palace, Macron's office said Lula had "shared his vision of Brazil's role in the world, noting how, over the past three years, Brazil has set itself aside of the multilateral system and major international agreements."
Lula visited France as part of a European tour that also included Belgium, Germany, and Spain.
Bolsonaro's feud with Macron began in 2019, when the French president condemned the raging fires in the Amazon, prompting Bolsonaro to insult Macron's wife and accuse him of disrespecting Brazilian sovereignty.
