SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras did not only meet with Brazil's new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during his trip to Brasilia, but also discussed Turkey's aggression against Greece in his meeting with Spain's Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz.
The return of the Leftist leader in Brazil which marks a change of policy for "one of the largest economies on the planet, a member of the G20 and BRICS, with enormous regional power," as pointed out by official opposition sources when commenting on Tsipras' meeting with Lula.
The same sources also reported that Tsipras was received with honours as a "head of state" by the Brazilian leader so that he could attend yesterday's ceremony, as well as the reception that followed, where top personalities and leaders from all over the world were present.
During their bilateral meeting, on New Year's Eve, the President of SYRIZA PS congratulated Lula da on his election, talking with the new President about the governmental experience of the left and progressive forces in Greece and Brazil.
According to reports, both agreed that the fight these forces have today for democracy and tackling inequalities against the right-wing and far-right alliance is just as important as the fight in previous decades to defend society from austerity policies and neoliberal globalisation.
Also commenting on international developments, Lula and Tsipras discussed the war in Ukraine, the new cold war between the US and China, the climate crisis, and closer relations between Europe and Latin America.
Tsipras informed the Brazilian President about the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkish aggression. He underlined the importance of sending a message to Turkey to respect international law and for a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue based on UN resolutions.
"Bolsonaro has been defeated but Bolsonarism is still here, as he characteristically told me in our meeting," the President of SYRIZA PS commented in his post on social media after the end of his hour-long meeting with the Brazilian President.
He added that "[Lula] wanted to learn details about our battles with the troika, about how we overcame the crisis, about the Macedonian solution, about Cyprus and the Aegean, about Europe's stance on the Ukrainian issue but also about the battle of the European Left against the rise of the Far Right."
"We finally agreed to meet again soon. Perhaps on an official visit to Greece, because he admires the struggles of the Greek people and our cultural heritage," concluded Tsipras when detailing his second meeting with Lula in 10 years.
During his stay in Brazil, the President of SYRIZA PS also met the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor of Spain, Yolanda Díaz, with whom he discussed the effort of the Spanish government to strengthen labor rights and the measures against the energy crisis.
In the same context, the two discussed the cooperation of all progressive European forces in a common front against the right-wing and far-right alliance that is being formed.
Finally, Tsipras reportedly informed the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister about the increasing Turkish aggression and the importance of our European partners giving clear messages to Turkey in favour of respecting international law.
READ MORE: Turkey's new threats: "Greece's calculations for Kastellorizo are wrong," says Akar.
