Lula awards Pepe Mujica Order of Southern Cross medal

“We cannot choose a brother. We cannot even choose a mother. But we can choose a comrade.” With this statement,  President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva awarded Pepe Mujica the Order of the Southern Cross (Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul), the highest decoration offered by the Brazilian head of state to foreign citizens. Lula exalted Mujica's long journey in pursuit of a fairer, more egalitarian, and inclusive world, particularly in the Americas.

“This is Brazil's most important commendation. I am awarding Pepe Mujica this medal not for the fact that he was the President of Uruguay. I can say that, among all the presidents I have met and I befriended, Pepe is the most extraordinary individual,” underscored the President.

The meeting between the two leaders took place at the Mujica-Topolansky Farm, on the outskirts of Montevideo. Lula is in Uruguay for the Mercosur Summit, which runs until Friday, December 6, in the capital.

“Thank you, my dear. I am not a man of prizes and awards. I am a man of the people. I am grateful for us having met in this journey,” said Mujica, a progressive politician who served as President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015 and became internationally known for his austere personal style and advocacy for human rights.

During the meeting with his friend, Lula highlighted Brazil’s return to the international scenario. He mentioned the meetings he had throughout 2023 and 2024 with dozens of heads of state and government in Latin American events, with the European Union, the G20, and BRICS representatives, among others. He underscored that, in 2025, Brazil will host COP30, the climate conference which will take place in the city of Belém, in Pará, as well as the BRICS Summit.  

MERCOSUR — The 65th Mercosur Summit marks the end of Uruguay's pro tempore presidency and its transfer to Argentina. With the inclusion of Bolivia, participating for the first time as a full member, the bloc now covers 73% of South America's territory and represents about 65% of the region's population and 70% of its GDP. During the meeting, Panama will officially be integrated as an Associated State, becoming the first Central American country to obtain this status.

AGREEMENT WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION — One of the main highlights of this summit is the expected conclusion of an agreement between Mercosur and the European Union, scheduled for Friday, which has been under negotiation for over two decades. If finalized, it will potentially become the largest trade agreement ever concluded by Mercosur, establishing one of the world’s largest free trade areas.