Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held a bilateral meeting with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in New Delhi to strengthen defence ties between the two countries. Brazilian Defence Minister José Múcio Monteiro Filho was also present during the meeting.
During the discussions, the leaders reviewed ongoing defence cooperation initiatives and identified priority areas for joint collaboration, including co-development and co-production of defence equipment. They also reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhancing military-to-military exchanges, joint training, and exercises.
Geraldo Alckmin, who is also Brazil’s Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, is on an official visit to India from October 15-17. As part of his visit, he will also hold the inaugural Trade Ministerial Review Meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on October 16.
Alckmin is scheduled to meet Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, to discuss various issues of mutual interest. He will also attend the India-Brazil Business Forum and visit the All India Institute of Ayurveda.
Brazil is the largest trade partner of India in South America. During the recent State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Brazil, the leaders agreed to establish a Ministerial-level Review Mechanism to foster trade and investment, and set a bilateral trade target of $20 billion in the next five years.
The visit of Alckmin is envisaged to provide an opportunity to review bilateral trade and investment, identify new priority sectors, set a road map towards achieving the trade target and further strengthen the multifaceted Strategic Partnership.