President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Monday with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the “solid relationship” between the United States and Brazil and both promised to cooperate in the face of “common challenges”, reported the White House after the electoral victory of the leftist leader.

“The two leaders spoke of the strong relationship between USA y Brazil and committed to continue working as partners to address common challenges, including combating climate change, safeguarding food security, promoting inclusion and democracy, and managing regional migration,” it said in a statement.

Biden insisted that the elections in Brazil, in which Lula beat the far-right Jair Bolsonaro by a narrow margin of 50.9% against 49.1%, have been “free, fair and credible”, as he already said on Sunday when congratulating him, shortly after to know the results.

The US president praised “the strength of Brazil’s democratic institutions,” according to the statement.

“The democratic institutions of Brazil yesterday carried out what can be described as an exemplary election,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Brazil is “a leading democracy in the region, a country with which we share a series of important interests,” he stated in his daily press conference.

“There are many opportunities for cooperation, many opportunities to deepen our cooperation between our two countries on various fronts, but the election, of course, ended yesterday and the inauguration is still a couple of months away, so I wouldn’t want to get ahead of myself.” he added.

In his first reaction after his victory, Lula assured that he will fight deforestation and that “Brazil is back” on the international scene.

Since his victory, he has met with Argentine President Alberto Fernández and spoken with several foreign leaders.

Bolsonaro He has not yet conceded his defeat in the ballot.