Brazil President to hold talks with PM Modi during Feb 18-22 India visit

President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be on a state visit to India from 18–22 February, along with 14 of his ministers and a strong business delegation comprising top executives of Brazilian companies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

The Brazilian President is slated to inaugurate an office of ApexBrasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, in New Delhi during his visit, and will also participate in the 2nd AI Impact Summit from 19–20 February.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Lula are scheduled to have a bilateral meeting on February 21, where they are likely to discuss India-Brazil bilateral ties, cooperation in multilateral fora, reformed multilateralism, global governance, and issues concerning the Global South. Several agreements, including in the defence sector, trade and investment, science and technology, energy, biofuels, critical minerals, and rare earth elements, are expected to be signed during President Lula’s India visit. The two countries have set a target of increasing their bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030 and expanding the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement.

The chief executive officers of Brazilian companies are expected to participate in a Business Forum being organised during the visit of the Brazilian President, reflecting the growing trade and commercial engagement between the two countries, the MEA said. Brazil is India’s largest trading partner in the Latin American region.

India-Brazil bilateral engagement has continued to deepen in areas such as trade and investment, defence, energy, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, including renewables and critical minerals.