Brasilia, July 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a warm welcome by Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on Tuesday evening, India time, 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 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. PM Modi will then be honoured with a State Lunch at the Alvorada Palace.

"Good morning. We are now back in Brasilia. Today, I will welcome the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a State Visit. We will sign new agreements and take another important step in strengthening bilateral relations between Brazil and India," the Brazilian President posted on X shortly before the welcome ceremony.

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.

"I will travel to Brasilia for a bilateral State Visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly six decades. This visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen our close partnership with Brazil, and work with my friend, President H.E. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on advancing the priorities of the Global South," PM Modi said ahead of his visit.

India and Brazil also continue to cooperate intensively in international bodies, such as the United Nations, the G20, BRICS, IBSA and the G4.

"In bilateral cooperation, the two leaders should endorse five priority pillars for joint work over the next decade: Defence and security; Food and nutritional security; Energy transition and climate change; Digital transformation and emerging technologies and Industrial partnerships in strategic sectors such as the aeronautical industry, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas and critical minerals," the Brazilian President's office said in a statement on Monday, ahead of PM Modi's visit.

President Lula visited India in September 2023, where he participated in the G20 Summit and met with PM Modi. The 9th Meeting of the Brazil-India Joint Commission for Political, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (COMISTA), the main mechanism for dialogue and coordination between Brazil and India, was held in August 2024, in New Delhi, under the co-chairmanship of the foreign ministers of both countries.

In 2024, India-Brazil bilateral trade totalled US$12 billion, which kept India in the position of Brazil's 10th largest trading partner. Exports were US$ 5.26 billion, with India being the 13th largest destination for Brazilian exports. Imports were US$ 6.8 billion, which made India the sixth largest source of imports for Brazil.

Lula's office detailed that, since the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, 72 Brazilian trade and investment promotion missions have visited India while around 40 Indian missions have visited Brazil in the same period. (IANS)

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