In an interview with CNN’s Spanish TV channel, US President Barack Obama said that Brazil “is an economic power and a key player in the international scenario.” Obama went on to say that he and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva “should be partners.”

The good relationship between Obama and Lula began even before the American was elected president. Soon after taking office, Obama received Brazil’s president at the White House. During the G-20 meeting in London in early April, Obama said that Lula “is my man.”

Obama and Lula meet again at the 5th Summit of the Americas, which began today and runs until Sunday, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The event has brought together presidents and heads of state from across the American continent.