By Sahil Pandey

New Delhi [India], October 31 (ANI): Brazil's Ambassador to India, Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, on Friday highlighted the growing strategic and economic partnership between the two countries, saying bilateral trade is expected to soon reach USD 20 billion, with cooperation expanding across critical minerals, defence, energy, pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence.

Addressing an event to celebrate Brazil's National Day, the envoy said the two countries were entering a new phase of bilateral engagement ahead of the upcoming 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations, with political commitment and growing business ties providing fresh momentum to the partnership.

"Political vision and business dynamism are converging to take Brazil-India relations to a new level," he said, underlining the growing economic engagement between the two countries.

Highlighting India's emergence as Brazil's fifth-largest trading partner, the ambassador said concrete progress had also been made in negotiations to expand the trade agreement between India and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

He noted that major Brazilian companies were expanding their presence in India, with aerospace major Embraer emerging as a prominent new entrant. India's foreign direct investment stock in Brazil has also increased significantly, with investments from leading Indian companies reaching USD 10 billion, he said.

The ambassador attributed the growing economic engagement to more than 150 business and technology missions exchanged between the two countries over the past three years.

On cooperation in emerging technologies and strategic sectors, da Nobrega said India and Brazil were strengthening partnerships in energy, defence, agriculture, healthcare, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

"Just recently, we agreed to connect our efforts on rare earths and critical minerals. We also built new partnerships in pharmaceutical research and innovation, and launched a broad digital partnership," he said.

Describing mutual trust as a key strength of bilateral relations, he said the partnership had developed over eight decades and was now delivering tangible results in areas critical to the future competitiveness and resilience of both economies.

"In those uncertain years and in this uncertain world we are living in, trust is not just an asset; it is a strategic advantage," he said.

Reflecting on bilateral cooperation in multilateral forums, the Brazilian envoy praised India's leadership during its BRICS chairmanship, particularly its ability to bring member countries together for discussions on challenging global issues.

He said Brazil and India had worked in "full synergy" within BRICS under India's stewardship, highlighting India's convening power and diplomatic deftness in ensuring that all members remained engaged in dialogue.

The two countries had also strengthened their environmental cooperation following COP30, with Brazil assuming co-chairmanship alongside India of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Global Biofuels Alliance, he said.

The ambassador also recalled the state visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Brazil in 2025 and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to India earlier this year, saying the visits provided strong political backing to expanding cooperation in economic and technological fields.

Looking ahead, he said the two countries would also seek to deepen cultural engagement, with Brazil planning to extend to India in 2027 celebrations marking the 100th birth anniversary of legendary Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim, popularly known as Tom Jobim.

Jobim was one of the leading figures behind Bossa Nova, the Brazilian musical genre that gained international recognition by blending European musical influences, jazz and African rhythms.

The ambassador also referred to Brazil's recent peaceful electoral exercise, saying more than 150 million Brazilians had participated in the polls, with voter turnout reaching its highest level in over two decades.

He described the election as a reflection of Brazil's democratic traditions and civic identity.

India and Brazil are key partners in the Global South and work closely across multilateral platforms, including BRICS, G20 and the United Nations. Both countries have been seeking to expand cooperation in trade, technology, energy transition and reform of global governance institutions. (ANI)