Brasilia, July 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for extending support and solidarity in the aftermath of the dastardly April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 lives were lost.
PM Modi on Tuesday met Brazilian President Lula da Silva here, during which both leaders discussed ways of deepening trade ties and also diversifying bilateral trade.
“Held fruitful talks with President Lula, who has always been passionate about India-Brazil friendship. Our talks included ways to deepen trade ties and also diversify bilateral trade. We both agree that there is immense scope for such linkages to thrive in the coming times,” PM Modi wrote on X, also shared pictures of his meeting with the Brazilian President.
“Clean energy, sustainable development and overcoming climate change were also prominent topics of discussion in our talks. Other areas where we will work even more closely include defence, security, AI and agriculture. India-Brazil cooperation in space, semiconductors and DPI will benefit our people,” PM Modi wrote on X.
In another post, the Prime Minister wrote: “I thank my good friend, President Lula, the Government and wonderful people of Brazil for their kindness through this visit. Over the last few days, I have attended the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro and held bilateral talks with President Lula in Brasília.”
A statement noted that both leaders held extensive discussions on India-Brazil multifaceted ties, including trade & investment, defence & security, health & pharmaceuticals, space, renewable energy, food & energy security, infrastructure development, digital public infrastructure, culture and people-to-people ties and explored avenues for collaboration in the new areas of critical minerals, new and emerging technologies, AI & supercomputers, digital collaboration & mobility.
They set a bilateral trade target of $20 billion over the next five years. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the MEA said in a statement.
Earlier, Brazil conferred its highest honour, the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross, on Prime Minister Modi during his ongoing State Visit to the country on Tuesday.
The award was the 26th global honour for PM Modi and the third on his current five-nation visit, which kicked off on July 2.
Prime Minister Modi on Friday became the first foreign leader to be conferred with ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago’, the highest civilian award of the Caribbean nation, during his two-day visit to Port of Spain.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamala Persad Bissessar, while delivering glowing praise for the Indian PM, mentioned that the honour is being bestowed in recognition of his global leadership, deep ties with the Indian diaspora, and his humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi was conferred the ‘Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country’s national honour in recognition of his “distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership” by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Accra, just before arriving in Trinidad.
Earlier, PM Modi was given a warm welcome by Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia as he began a State Visit to the country following his participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
After the special ceremonial welcome — which featured 114 horses escorting PM Modi’s car – with military honours and introduction of delegates, both leaders proceeded for a meeting in a restricted format that will be followed by delegation-level talks. A signing ceremony on various agreements will be held and followed by leaders’ statements to the press.
Prime Minister Modi earlier visited Brazil on three occasions, the first in July 2014, followed by another visit in 2019 to attend the BRICS summit, and in November last year to attend the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the State Visit will provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of India-Brazil partnership, including trade and investments, oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and critical minerals, defence and security, agriculture and livestock, healthcare and traditional medicine, tourism, space, science and technology, DPI, and also sports and people-to-people relations in general. Both leaders will also be discussing during their talks global issues of mutual interest.
The visit will be a significant milestone in the India-Brazil strategic partnership and is envisaged to add renewed momentum to the strategic partnership, which New Delhi agreed to in 2006.
–IANS
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