The presidents of Brazil and Colombia meet to boost cooperation ahead of Amazon summit

By ELÉONORE HUGHES
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has met with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro to build momentum for upcoming regional summit  on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection. The encounter took place in Colombia’s Leticia, a small town in the Amazon’s triple border region between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, where organized crime has recently increased its hold. The meeting aims to lay groundwork for the Amazon Summit the Brazilian government is organizing in Belem next month. That summit will be attended by leaders of the countries party to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, made up of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.