BRASILIA – The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, decorated the Brazilian first lady, Rosângela da Silva, Janja, as an officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest honor granted by the French government to recognize military or civil merits to people who stand out on the world stage on important issues for that country. The French head of state meets agendas this Thursday, 28th, with president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), in Brasília.
“In the name of the French Republic, I make you an officer of the Legion of Honor,” said Emmanuel Macron, during a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto. Lula already has the highest insignia of the Order. At the same ceremony, the Brazilian president awarded the National Order of the Southern Cross to Emmanuel Macron. The honor, established by Emperor D. Pedro I, is the highest decoration granted to a non-Brazilian citizen.
On Tuesday, the 26th, the President of France decorated chief Raoni Metuktire, 92, as a knight of the Legion of Honor, renowned as one of the greatest names in the world in the defense of the Amazon and its indigenous peoples.
“You never stopped. You will never stop. You were a leader in this fight and took it much further, more firmly, than many others. You are a chief whose age no longer counts. Your energy is getting stronger and stronger. Every time I see him, he is stronger. Lula, he is hope for us,” Macron told the indigenous leadership.
The honor was established at the beginning of the 19th century by Napoleon Bonaparte. Macron and Lula held a bilateral meeting in Belém (PA) during this, which is the European’s first official visit to Brazil. In Pará, the two presidents dedicated themselves to conversations about environmental preservation and climate issues.
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