Brazilian President Lula, speaking at the opening of the 81st UN General
Assembly general debate on the 22nd, called for defense of national sovereignty
and multilateralism and reaffirmed a non‑interference principle. He said the UN
Security Council must address decisive issues affecting humanity and urge a
choice between multilateralism and unilateralism — “choose sovereignty or choose
submission." Lula pledged Brazil will pursue an autonomous development path and
independently determine its future, warned against external interference in
domestic affairs, and said ideological differences should not block regional
integration or cooperation with neighboring countries.
