Brasilia/New Delhi, July 8 . Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva pitched strongly for his country’s Embraer jets to increase their presence in India, including through technology transfer and professional training, to become part of New Delhi’s regional air connectivity Udaan plan.
In a long series of posts on X, after holding bilateral talks with PM Modi at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, President Lula also termed it as “unacceptable” that the two nations with their strong presence on the global stage do not have permanent seats in the UN Security Council.
“It was a great satisfaction to receive Prime Minister Modi. Two remarkable countries like India and Brazil cannot remain distant. The strength of our democracies, the diversity of our cultures, and the vigor of our economies draw us together.
“As members of the G20 and BRICS, we act in defense of multilateralism and in favor of more inclusive global governance.
“It is unacceptable that countries of the stature of India and Brazil do not hold permanent seats on the UN Security Council.“We are natural allies in addressing two of the greatest challenges of our time: the eradication of hunger and poverty and the fight against climate change. I thanked Prime Minister Modi for India’s participation in the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.
“The deepening of our partnership also depends on strengthening economic relations. Our trade flow of 12 billion dollars is not commensurate with the scale of our economies. When I was in India twenty years ago, we aimed to reach 15 billion dollars. We are determined to accelerate this goal, tripling that value in the short term.
“Since the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, more than 70 Brazilian trade and investment promotion missions have visited India. During the same period, we received 40 Indian technical visits here.
“I thanked Prime Minister Modi for the recent opening of the Indian market to Brazilian chicken and cotton. The expansion of the MERCOSUR-India agreement could help reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers that still hinder our trade. Currently, only 14% of Brazilian exports to India are covered by the agreement.“Brazil and India can be the engines of a new development model based on clean energies.
“We are already partners in the Global Biofuels Alliance, launched during India’s G20 presidency. India is the fastest-growing bioenergy market in the world. The country has set a goal to increase the ethanol blend in gasoline to 20% and the biodiesel proportion in diesel to 5%.“Brazil has half a century of experience with biofuels and is a pioneer in flex-fuel engines. We already add 30% ethanol to gasoline and 15% biodiesel to diesel. I invited India to join the Forever Tropical Forests Fund, which will compensate countries that preserve their forests.
“The future of our relationship will also rest on two other important pillars: technological development and defense.
“India’s public digital infrastructure policies, based on open data, codes, and models, contrast with the concentrating dynamics of private companies.
“We aim to create a center of excellence with India to bring this potential to Brazil. We are interested in collaborating on the development and production of vaccines and medicines to strengthen Brazil’s health industrial complex.
“With its missions to the Moon, India has established itself as a successful example in space exploration. We had Indian support for the launch of Amazônia 1, the first satellite entirely designed and operated by Brazil.
“In an increasingly polarized world, the pursuit of autonomy aligns our defense policies. The three commanders of the Brazilian Armed Forces have visited India since the beginning of the administration.
“I expressed to Prime Minister Modi EMBRAER’s willingness to strengthen its presence in India in partnership with local companies, with technology transfer and professional training. The company’s aircraft can help the country realize the UDAN plan so that “all Indians can fly.”
“We signed today an Agreement on Combating Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime that will enhance our cooperation. As part of this effort, the Federal Police will open an attaché office in New Delhi.”
President Lula, referring to the upcoming celebration of Raksha Bandhan, said:
“Dear friend @narendramodi,“In one month, Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated, an Indian tradition that honors the bond between siblings. May the symbolism of this festival inspire us to deepen the ties we have built together today.”
Ahead of the talks, the Brazilian President had outlined five priority pillars for their talks.
“Today we are welcoming Prime Minister @narendramodi for a State Visit. In this meeting, we will endorse five priority pillars for joint work over the next decade:
Defense and security
Food and nutritional security
Energy transition and climate change
Digital transformation and emerging technologies
Industrial partnerships in strategic sectors such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, and critical minerals
“Brazil and India are sister nations, sharing common interests in the development of the Global South.”
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