Progressive summit in Chile exposes the global right

Amid unprecedented tensions between the Brazilian and US governments due to Donald Trump's threats, the "Democracy Forever" summit is being held in Santiago, Chile, with Lula, Petro, Orsi, and Sánchez in attendance.

21 de July de 2025 13:04

This meeting builds on the previous initiative, “Defending Democracy, Combating Extremism,” launched in 2024 by Brazil and Spain during the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

Amid a fierce global geopolitical dispute, Chilean President Gabriel Boric will lead the High-Level Summit "Democracy Forever," which will take place today at the historic Palacio de la Moneda in Santiago. The meeting, of great regional significance, will include the participation of Yamandú Orsi (Uruguay), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), and Gustavo Petro (Colombia), in addition to Pedro Sánchez (Spain).

It is worth noting that the meeting is taking place amid heightened tensions between Brazil and the United States, after the Donald Trump administration threatened Brazil with sanctions and tariffs over the conviction of former president and coup leader Jair Bolsonaro , a Trump ally in a new chapter of Yankee interference in the region.

Apparently, despite Trump's fiery rhetoric, Brazilian diplomacy continues to deliver. Prensa Latina reported that: "Behind the scenes, representatives of the Brazilian government, coordinated by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, are attempting to negotiate with intermediaries in the public and private sectors of the United States to avoid the implementation of the 50 percent tariff increase on national exports starting August 1."

This summit "seeks to promote a unified stance in support of multilateralism, democracy, and global cooperation, based on social justice. Key topics to be discussed include strengthening democracy and multilateralism, reducing inequalities, combating disinformation, and regulating emerging technologies," reported the Mercopress news site.

The proposals and conclusions of the Santiago summit will be presented at the opening of the 80th United Nations General Assembly , which will take place in September in New York City.

This meeting builds on the previous initiative “In Defense of Democracy, Combating Extremism,” launched in 2024 by Brazil and Spain during the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting in Chile seeks to consolidate a common position among progressive governments on these crucial issues.

Following the meeting at La Moneda, "the progressive leaders will have lunch with intellectuals such as the American economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, the American philosopher Susan Neiman, and the South Korean economist specializing in development strategies Ha-Joon Chang," reported the ariesonline website, adding that afterwards "the leaders will hold a meeting with representatives of more than 300 Chilean civil society organizations."

The Chilean right has criticized the timing of the summit, which is just as Chile is negotiating copper tariffs with the Donald Trump administration.

He also accused Boric of “not remaining 'neutral' in this time of geopolitical complexity,” ariesonline reported.

Following the summit, Pedro Sánchez is expected to visit Montevideo to sign a series of bilateral agreements with Uruguay.

Sources:

Latin Press

Mercopress

ariesonline

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