President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva awarded the National Order of the Southern Cross to the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is paying a state visit to the country this week. The decoration decree was published in the edition of Official Diary of the Union (DOU) this Thursday (28), the day Macron is in Brasília for a meeting and lunch with Lula and authorities of the Republic. Established by Emperor D. Pedro I, still in 1822, as the Imperial Order of the Cruzeiro, the honor has, since 1932, been intended exclusively for foreign personalities, being the highest decoration granted to a non-Brazilian citizen.
Macron arrived at Palácio do Planalto in the early afternoon of this Thursday. Received with the honors of head of state, he walked through Praça dos Três Poderes and climbed the ramp of the federal government headquarters, where he was received by Lula and first lady Janja da Silva. They then participated in a bilateral meeting. The imposition of the honor took place shortly after the meeting. After that, it was the French president who awarded, this time to First Lady Janja da Silva, the insignia of the Legion of Honor in the officer rank. The main French honor has already been received by Lula in the past. Afterwards, the two presidents made a statement to the press. Macron and Lula’s next appointment is a lunch at the Itamaraty Palace.
Lula and Macron are expected to sign a series of joint acts. The French leader arrived in Brazil on Tuesday (26), in Belém, where they visited Combú Island, in the middle of the Amazon Forest, and participated in a meeting with indigenous people and a ceremony in which chief Raoni Metuktire, leader of the Kayapó people and one of the most internationally recognized indigenous representatives, he was decorated with the order of knight of the French Legion of Honor, the main honor granted by France to its citizens and foreigners who stand out on the global stage.
The following day, the two participated in the baptism ceremony and launch of the Toneleiro submarine at the Itaguaí Naval Complex, in Rio de Janeiro. The vessel is the result of a partnership between Brazil and France, within the scope of the Submarine Development Program (ProSub).
Afterwards, Macron went to the city of São Paulo, where he participated in the Brazil-France Economic Forum, organized by the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp). After the event, the French president criticized the attempt at an agreement that has been reached between the Mercosur countries and the European Union.
