In an interview with The Hindu in New Delhi, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira praises India’s BRICS presidency, says bilateral trade could exceed the $30 billion target well before 2030 and argues that BRICS is not an anti-Western bloc.
uncertain
BRICS → praise → 2030
President Lula visited India earlier this year, and there was a very strong sense of enthusiasm among Indian business leaders about Brazil.
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Lula → visit → Brazil
Bilateral trade is also expanding rapidly.
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trade → expand → ?
How do you see the future of Brazil–India relations?
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you → see → relations
Brazil and India have everything they need to build, in addition to the excellent political relationship we already have, a very strong economic relationship.
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we → have → relationship
When President Lula was here earlier this year, he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the goal of reaching $30 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
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he → launch → 2030
We are already approaching $20 billion.
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We → approach → billion
Trade reached around $15 billion last year, with very strong growth, and according to current projections, this year it should reach around $20 billion.
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it → reach → billion
Petrobras is very satisfied with its business in India and is selling a great deal here.
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Petrobras → sell → deal
There are also several other projects that could materialise in the short term and significantly increase bilateral trade.
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that → be → trade
Embraer has major interests in India and is working very actively, both in commercial aviation, which is obviously very important in a country of India’s size, and in defence, with the KC-390 and Super Tucano aircraft.
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which → have → aircraft
WEG also has a very significant international presence, and Vale is another major Brazilian company with interests here.
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Vale → have → interests
Yesterday, I met a group of Brazilian business leaders representing around 20 companies, including large companies such as Vale, Embraer and WEG, as well as associations representing meat exporters and other sectors.
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I → meet → exporters
If some of the deals currently being developed by Embraer, Vale, WEG and other companies materialise, bilateral trade could exceed US$30 billion in the short term.
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trade → develop → term
We could reach that target well before 2030.
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We → reach → 2030
How do you assess India’s BRICS presidency and the transition from the Brazilian presidency to the Indian one?
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you → assess → one
I believe Brazil was very successful in the major presidencies it held in recent years.
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it → believe → years
The G20 was very important and laid the foundations for action in several areas.
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G20 → lay → areas
That creates an important space for dialogue and coordination.
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That → create → dialogue
Brazil launched important initiatives in both the G20 and BRICS and passed them forward.
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Brazil → launch → them
India, during its BRICS presidency, carried many of these projects forward in several areas.
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India → carry → areas
The meeting in Mumbai was very significant, and there are many interesting developments taking place.
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meeting → be → place
The bank is growing, it will continue to grow, and it will consolidate itself within the spirit of BRICS, which is to promote reform of global governance.
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which → grow → governance
The Bretton Woods institutions — the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund — reflect a reality that is 80 years old.
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that → reflect → reality
Their mechanisms of control, approval and disbursement can make access more difficult for many developing countries.
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access → make → countries
With the BRICS bank, we can have a faster, more agile and more efficient system, under the control of the countries that own the bank and have a direct interest in its success.
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that → have → success
You have a long relationship with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishnkar.
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You → have → Jaishnkar
How important is that personal and diplomatic ties, and how closely aligned are Brazil and India on multilateralism and global governance?
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Brazil → align → multilateralism
We have known each other for a long time.
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We → know → time
I was already serving there as ambassador when he arrived as India’s ambassador, and that is when we first met.
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we → serve → ambassador
Later, when I came to India in 2015, during President Dilma Rousseff’s government, I was Foreign Minister and he was Foreign Secretary.
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he → come → government
We met again then.
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We → meet → ?
Since I returned to office in 2023, this relationship has continued.
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relationship → return → 2023
It helps the dialogue a great deal.
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It → help → dialogue
We speak frequently, we consult each other, and our positions are very similar — practically the same — on multilateralism and global governance.
Would you say Brazil and India also share the view that BRICS should not be understood as an anti-Western bloc?
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BRICS → speak → bloc
I was asked about this yesterday by the Indian media.
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I → ask → media
There were many microphones around me, and the questions were: “Is BRICS anti-Western?
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BRICS → be → me
On the contrary, we see BRICS as a space for negotiation, dialogue and consensus-building.
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we → see → negotiation
It is a space where positions can be discussed and where countries can work towards common understandings.
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countries → discuss → understandings
This is a point we have to repeat often because there continues to be a misunderstanding about the purpose of BRICS.
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we → have → BRICS
…and 66 more, not listed.
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