President Lula’s press statement on occasion of visit by President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa

Your Excellency, President Daniel Noboa, President of the Republic of Ecuador, friendly members of the Ecuadorian delegation, and friendly members of the Brazilian delegation.

It has been a great satisfaction to receive President Daniel Noboa.

This takes place just a few days before the celebration of the 216th anniversary of the First Cry of Independence.

The Quito uprising of August 10, 1809, was a pioneering act for the self-determination of the peoples of the region and led to the establishment of an autonomous government in Ecuador, dedicated to the cause of national independence.

We are very pleased with Ecuador’s support for the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty from the beginning, at a moment when Brazil has just come off the Hunger Map.

This visit marks the end of a hiatus of nearly eighteen years since an Ecuadorian head of state last visited Brazil.

It is an opportunity for our two friendly countries to once again come closer together.

Last semester, Ecuador did an important job in advancing the Brasília Consensus.

The continuity of this initiative shows that the dialogue about common interest issues is unavoidable.

It also shows that political differences must not override the greater goal of building a strong and prosperous region.

South America has the ability to lead a just energy transition.

Brazil and Ecuador have electrical matrices that are almost entirely based on renewable sources.

Both have already presented our new plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the so-called NDCs.

We share the Amazon biome and the mission to take care of its inhabitants.

In a few months, at COP30, the Amazon will not only be the “Center of the World”, as the Equator Line is often referred to.

It will effectively be the epicenter of the solutions for the planet.

I have thanked President Noboa for his support of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, which Brazil intends to launch in Belém. 

We will work together to ensure this mechanism can benefit all members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization.

In a few days, I will be at the ACTO Summit in Bogotá to reaffirm our commitment to making the Amazon a role model for sustainable development.

In June, Brazil inaugurated the International Center for Police Cooperation in the Amazon in Manaus, which will strengthen coordination efforts to combat illicit activities in the region.

The Center will bring together police officers from several Brazilian states as well as from all Amazon countries, including Ecuador.

There is no need to classify these criminal organizations as terrorists, nor to violate the sovereignty of other nations, to combat organized crime.

We will only be able to deter the criminal networks that have spread throughout South America if we act together.

I stressed to President Noboa the Brazilian offer to cooperate in public security.

We are reopening the Federal Police attaché office in Quito and have already provided training on investigating financial crimes.

We can do much more, from actions to curb criminal activities within prisons to operations aimed at suppressing arms smuggling.

I also spoke to President Noboa about the urgency with which the Brazilian Government and society have been seeking to address criminality in the digital sphere.

Our societies will be under constant threat without the regulation of the “Big Techs”.

This is the great challenge of today, faced by every State.

The digital networks cannot be a lawless land in which attacks against democracy, incitement to hatred and violence go unpunished.

Eradicating the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents is a moral imperative and an obligation of the public authorities.

My dear friends,

Ecuador and Brazil have much room to expand bilateral trade.

We have a trade exchange of over one billion dollars, with a surplus exceeding 850 million in Brazil’s favor.

I told President Noboa that we are willing to work toward a more balanced trade by reducing barriers to Ecuadorian products.

We will start by implementing the judicial order that mandated the reopening of the Brazilian market to bananas from Ecuador.

We will begin with dried bananas and, by the end of the year, complete the risk assessment for fresh bananas.

We are aware of the need to make progress in resuming shrimp imports.

Similarly, I am confident that the Ecuadorian government will closely monitor the products of interest to Brazil, starting with pork.

The MERCOSUR–Ecuador agreement is more than twenty years old and needs to be updated.

We will bring this issue to the attention of the other members of the bloc.

The recent entry into force of our Investment Cooperation and Facilitation Agreement will provide greater security for business activities.

We received with enthusiasm the news that direct flights between São Paulo and Quito will be resumed in 2026, expanding the flow of businesspeople and tourists.

In line with the South American Integration Routes Program, our teams are in conversation about highways and waterways that will connect Manaus to the Ecuadorian port of Manta.

Cooperation between our countries will gain new chapters with the three agreements we signed today, in the areas of hunger and poverty eradication, family agriculture, and artificial intelligence.

We are united through respect and mutual trust.

Twenty-seven years ago, Brasília was the stage for the signing of the Peace Agreement that put an end to the territorial conflict between Ecuador and Peru.

We demonstrated that it is possible to resolve complex controversies through peaceful means and negotiation. This is an example for our region.

In a challenging global scenario in which rivalries deepen and multilateral institutions are emptied, we must be firm in the defense of our independence.

For Brazil, autonomy equals the diversification of partnerships.

The ties with Ecuador and the other neighboring South American countries are a priority for us.

This visit symbolizes the relaunch of our bilateral relations and brings back the importance that our friendship has always deserved.

I believe, President Noboa, that we must mark August 18, 2025, as the great day when we restarted our political, commercial, cultural, and technological relations with Ecuador. You may count on us, Mr. President.

Thank you very much.