Chile brings together the leaders of the international left

Chilean President Gabriel Boric will host his counterparts from Spain, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Santiago on Monday for a meeting of leftist leaders. The meeting comes at a time when there is a growing advance of right-wing parties and governments defending freedom.

Under the slogan "democracy always," Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Pedro Sánchez of Spain, Yamandú Orsi of Uruguay and Boric will hold a working day at La Moneda Palace in which they will address issues such as democracy and control of information.

"In an increasingly polarized world, as progressive leaders, we have the duty to act with conviction and responsibility against those who seek to weaken democracy and its institutions," said the five leaders in a column published in some newspapers in the region and picked up by AFP.

The meeting also coincides with the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on most countries and to pursue a heavy-handed foreign policy to resolve conflicts in the world.

It even comes as tension between Washington and Brasilia is on the rise after Trump threatened tariffs of 50% and spoke out in defense of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The Chilean presidency explained in a statement that the meeting of the rulers will have three axes: "The strengthening of democracy and multilateralism; the reduction of inequality; and the fight against disinformation, as well as the regulation of emerging technologies."

Meetings with other socialists

After the meeting at the presidential palace, the five leaders will have lunch with various leftist personalities, such as former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

The meeting in Santiago has its origins in the one convened by Pedro Sánchez and Lula da Silva last October in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, with calls to confront those who oppose socialism.

The meeting in New York was attended by Presidents Boric and Emmanuel Macron, from France, as well as the then-Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, among others.

It was then that the Chilean president proposed Santiago as the venue for the next meeting. In February, Lula, Sánchez, Petro, Orsi and Boric met again, but remotely.