Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday urged his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to boost defense co-operation, warning that both countries were vulnerable to foreign invasion.
Both Lula and the visiting Ramaphosa have been critical of the war against Iran waged by the United States and Israel.
“I don’t know if comrade Ramaphosa realises that if we don’t prepare ourselves in terms of defense, one day someone will invade us,” said Lula.
“We need to combine our potential and see what we can produce together, build together. We don’t need to keep buying from foreign arms suppliers.”
Ramaphosa noted that Brazil was “much more advanced” than South Africa in defense and aviation.
“We have a lot to learn from each other and we also have a lot to show you as well.”
The two countries’ defense ministers were due to meet Monday to work on a cooperation agreement.
“In South America, we present ourselves as a region of peace. No one has a nuclear bomb, no one has an atomic bomb. So we think of defense as deterrence,” said Lula.
South Africa and Brazil are members of the BRICS group of emerging nations, which US President Donald Trump has labeled “anti-American.”
The bloc also includes China, Russia, and Iran, among others.
Source: Insider Paper
