President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) ended his two-day official visit to Chile on Tuesday (06) avoiding answering questions from the press. Lula was asked about the political crisis in Venezuela and several times signaled that he would speak “later” with journalists.

According to aides close to the president, Lula gave up making any speech to the press at the request of Chilean President Gabriel Boric. Ministers who accompanied Lula on the trip, under reservation, said that the moment is for “caution” and that Lula should position himself “soon in Brazil”.

In the morning, Lula met with the mayor of Santiago, Irací Hassler, at the hotel where he is staying. Hassler is the daughter of a Brazilian mother and a Chilean father and was elected in 2021. The Brazilian president was awarded the Santiago medal, in recognition of his fight to take people out of poverty, hunger and for public education.

Then, Lula was received by the former president of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, 86 years old. Lagos governed Chile between 2000 and 2006. In the last appointment in Santiago, Lula met with Boric again on a visit to the works of the future National Space Center that the Chilean Air Force is building on the outskirts of the capital.

The political crisis that has taken place in Venezuela

On Monday, the political crisis that has taken place in Venezuela was the subject of meetings with the current president of Chile and with the former president, Michelle Bachelet. On the occasion, Lula again called for transparency in relation to the result of the presidential election in the Venezuelan country.

“Respect for tolerance and popular sovereignty is what moves us to defend the transparency of the results,” said Lula, alongside Chilean President Gabriel Boric, at the La Moneda Palace.

Boric, on the other hand, avoided talking about the situation in Venezuela in his speech on Monday. Bachelet, who participated in the meetings with the presidents, confirmed that, despite Boric’s silence, the issue would be addressed in the private conversations.

President Lula’s return to Brazil is scheduled for this Tuesday. The president will land in Guarulhos, São Paulo, and return to Brasília on Wednesday (08).