India, Brazil to expand and diversify bilateral trade and investment

India and Brazil have agreed to expand and diversify trade and investment flows and deepen bilateral cooperation in areas, including agriculture and dairy science, conventional and renewable energy, space research and applications, defence, cyber security and environment conservation.

During a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia, the two sides also agreed to intensify their cooperation in international forums and multilateral institutions, including the G20.

As leaders of G4 countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Rousseff called for urgent progress on reforms of the United Nations, including the Security Council, by the time of the seventieth anniversary of the UN in 2015.

India and Brazil agreed to ensure effective bilateral cooperation in the field of space activities, with a view to promote social, economic and cultural development for the benefit of the peoples of their countries and to further encourage commercial and industrial cooperation between the private sectors of both countries in the space field.

This includes the implementation of an arrangement between the two governments for augmentation of a Brazilian earth station by Indian space agency ISRO for receiving and processing data from IRS satellites.

The two sides had, on 25 January 2004, signed a Framework Agreement for cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and had since signed an agreement to make Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) implementing agencies responsible for the development, coordination and control of cooperation envisaged by the agreement.

Brazil at present makes use of the AWiFS and the LISS-III data from the Indian Resourcesat-2 satellite received at its Cuiabá earth station in Brazil, for natural resources management, on the basis of an agreement between ISRO, AEB and Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Brasilia on the margins of the Sixth BRICS Summit. Modi expressed the hope that he would be able to visit Brazil on a full bilateral visit soon and also invited President Rousseff to visit India.

Following their meeting, the two sides signed three agreements:

• MoU on cooperation in the field of environment;
• Cooperation in augmentation of a Brazilian earth station for receiving and processing data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites; and
• MoU on cooperation in the field of mobility and consular issues.

The prime minister warmly congratulated the president and the people of Brazil for an excellent FIFA world cup, which showed the World Brazil's excellent organisational skills and warm hospitality.

He thanked President Rousseff for a well organised and successful BRICS summit, and in particular, arranging a meeting for BRICS with South American leaders.

Modi described the sixth summit hosted by Brazil as a historic one, which has produced two important agreements - the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement - and lauded President Rousseff for her guidance during the Summit.

Describing Brazil as a key global partner for India, the prime minister noted that as two democracies and major emerging economies, India and Brazil not only had vast potential for bilateral cooperation, but also to strengthen each other in international forums and advance the interest of the developing world at large. He also noted that Gujarat has emerged as a prime driver of India's economic relations with Brazil.

President Rousseff emphasized the special place this relationship enjoyed in Brazil's foreign policy, because of the potential for bilateral cooperation and the international significance of their partnership. She congratulated Narendra Modi for his impressive victory in the elections and wished him all success for India's progress and development.

The two leaders recalled the historical and cultural ties between the two countries, despite the distance, including the Gir cows that were brought to Brazil from India, the textiles and the fruits that came from India to Brazil since 18th and 19th centuries.

Keeping in mind the deep concern of both countries for the global environment and their shared interest in ensuring sustainable development ad conservation or resources for the well-being of present and future generations, the two countries agreed to enhance cooperation in the effective measures for protection and improvement of the environment.