Football shirts, ‘united by the Amazon’ selfie and announcement of billions in investments: Macron’s first day in Brazil | Policy

Lula and Macron discuss environmental preservation and meet with indigenous leaders in Belém

French President Emmanuel Macron’s first day in Brazil was not only marked by the announcement of a billion-dollar partnership for the bioeconomy in the Amazon, but also by a series of posts on social media and “treats” for the visitor.

In the small straw bag given to the French president there were three shirts: a traditional Marajó shirt, produced in the state of Pará, and two of the main football teams in Pará – Remo and Paysandu.

Emmanuel Macron and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva were together this Tuesday in the city that will host the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in 2025.

On social media, the two presidents made a point of making joint posts – when the publication appears simultaneously on both profiles, reinforcing the partnership strategy between them.

Macron’s first trip to Brazil, which includes – in addition to the presidential delegation – around 140 businesspeople, is assessed by members of French diplomacy as an important political moment for the resumption of relations between the two countries.

The visit to the country ends an eight-year hiatus – the last French president to come to Brazil was François Hollande, who participated in the opening of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

This Wednesday (27), the French president will visit Itaguaí (RJ) where he inaugurates the Tonelero submarine (S42), which is part of the Submarine Development Program (Prosub). The Brazil-France partnership was signed in 2008, with a budget of approximately R$40 billion.

Also this Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron will go to São Paulo for a meeting with Brazilian investors. On Thursday (28), he ends the trip passing through Brasília.

Still in Belém, this Tuesday, presidents Lula and Macron, governor Helder Barbalho, the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara and other authorities took a boat trip from Estação das Docas, tourist spot in the mainland area of ​​Belém, to the island of Combu, one of the main islands in the capital of Pará and where a chocolate factory is located, visited on National Cocoa Day.

There, chief Raoni was decorated by the French president, and indigenous leaders, including Raoni, spoke about the importance of preserving the forest and indigenous peoples. The chief took the opportunity to ask for a veto on the Ferrogrão railway project, between Mato Grosso and Pará.

The meeting was recorded by the French president on social media with the caption “United for the Amazon”, written in French and Portuguese.

In the ‘selfie’, he appears alongside President Lula, First Lady Janja da Silva, Chief Raoni and other indigenous leaders.

In another publication, Macron posted an excerpt from the moment he decorated Chief Raoni.

On another social network, he wrote: “We can only honor free souls by remaining faithful to them, following in their footsteps. With you, dear Raoni, I commit myself: France will always be at the side of those who live in the Amazon and those who fight for it “.