A "solid" friendship marked by 150 years of history, which began with the first Italian emigrants to Brazilian soil. President Sergio Mattarella recalls this on a visit to Brazil and Lula emphasizes it by saying that immigration is precisely what "united" the two countries. But today there is to unite what is torn by two major conflicts, in Ukraine and the Middle East. "We fully agreed that the world is in genuine need of peace. This is a common aspiration, widespread among the peoples," the Head of State said from Brasilia, at the end of talks with Lula during which the economic partnership between the two countries was focused on but without disregarding assessments of an "alarming" international picture. Mattarella's trip aims to strengthen ties between Italy and Brazil and with Europe. "The agreement between Mercosur and the EU is historic in scope, it guarantees and promotes peace and benefits the world. We must reach an understanding quickly," said the Head of State but before him, President Lula had pointed out its difficulties, starting with the carbon tax. "The progress of the negotiations," he said, "depends on the Europeans, who must resolve their own internal contradictions. Measures such as the carbon tax, imposed unilaterally by the EU, could affect five of the 10 Brazilian products most exported to the Italian market; the reduction of CO2 emissions is an imperative, but it must not be done on the basis of unilateral measures”.
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