[ad_1]
BRASILIA – The President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, said at the G-20 summit that Brazil is “right” in the way it fights the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting, which brings together the richest countries in the world for two days, is held this year in Saudi Arabia and its main theme is efforts to combat the new coronavirus pandemic and its devastating human and economic consequences. Leaders, however, participate by videoconference.
In a video recorded for the meeting, released by the G-20, Bolsonaro argued that it would be necessary to pay attention to the economy and health. Although he has addressed this message, since the pandemic arrived in Brazil, Bolsonaro has opposed social distance measures, one of the main ways to contain the disease, defended by international health authorities.
– From the beginning we knew that it was necessary to take care of health and the economy simultaneously. Time has proven that we were right. We must maintain a firm commitment to work for the economic growth and freedom of our people and the prosperity of the world, Bolsonaro said.
This Saturday the president went to the Planalto Palace to participate in the videoconference. In addition to the recorded message, he participated in the debate with leaders of the world’s most important economies.
– I greet all the members of the G-20. Especially Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, host of the current meeting. This year, we face challenges unprecedented in recent history. Cooperation in the field of the G-20 is essential to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and return to the path of economic and social recovery – said the president, still in the recorded message.
During the videoconference speech, Bolsonaro once again defended the non-mandatory application of the virus vaccine, although he signed a law that contemplates this possibility.
– We support universal, equitable and affordable access to available treatments. It is with this objective in mind that we participate in different initiatives aimed at combating the disease. However, it should be noted that we also defend the freedom of each individual to decide whether to be vaccinated or not. The pandemic cannot serve as a justification for attacks on individual freedoms, Bolsonaro said.
The president affirmed that Brazil “joins international efforts” to search for “effective and safe” vaccines against Covid-19, as well as “adopts early treatment to combat the disease.”
– Together we are overcoming one of the most serious health crises in recent history. We are overcoming uncertainties, logistical difficulties, and even misinformation.
Particularly on the G-20 agenda will be the discussion on the distribution of vaccines after the latest promising clinical trials and the response to requests from the group of large economies to expand their funding to combat the virus, which has infected more than 55 million people and killed more than 1.3 million worldwide.
– Our peoples and economies continue to suffer this impact. However, we will do everything possible to overcome this crisis through international cooperation – said King Salman in his opening speech.
For his part, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “the encouraging advances in vaccines in recent weeks could provide a way out of the darkness.”
The speech prepared in advance for the summit is short, approximately one minute. See:
In his speech to the leaders of the world’s major economies, Bolsonaro also addressed protests related to racial tensions. He did not mention the death of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, 40, a black man beaten and suffocated on Thursday night (19) in a Carrefour unit in Porto Alegre (RS). But he said that racial tensions are alien to Brazil’s history. Without showing solidarity, the president said that there is a political movement to “destroy” diversity and divide Brazilians.
[ad_2]
