NEW DELHI, February 21 — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed happiness at returning to India for the sixth time and emphasized the strength of the strategic partnership between the two nations during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
“It is a reason of happiness for me to return to this country for the sixth time,” Lula said. “The meeting between India and Brazil is a meeting of superlatives. We are not just the two biggest democracies of the Global South. This is a meeting of a digital superpower with a renewable energy superpower. We are both megadiverse countries, hubs of cultural industries, and defenders of multilateralism and peace.”
During the visit, the two nations signed three memorandums of understanding, including a Joint Declaration on Digital Partnership for the Future, an agreement on cooperation in rare earth and critical minerals, and a pact focused on mining cooperation in the steel supply chain.
Lula said the agreements reflect growing trust and alignment between the two countries and build on progress made during Modi’s visit to Brasília in July 2025.
“This shows the synchrony and mutual trust that binds us together,” Lula said. “On that occasion, we restructured the bilateral cooperation agenda in five areas and signed several agreements that gave concrete shape to our partnership.”
He emphasized that India and Brazil play an important role in shaping global governance, particularly amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
“A turbulent global scenario requires our countries to strengthen and deepen our strategic dialogue,” Lula said. “India and Brazil are crucial voices at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the G20. We are partners in building a multilateral system that is more just, peaceful, and governed by international law.”
Earlier in the day, Lula held delegation-level talks with Modi at Hyderabad House and was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he was received by Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.
Lula also met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and inaugurated the first office of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, ApexBrasil, in New Delhi. The office is expected to promote Brazilian exports and attract foreign investment into key sectors of Brazil’s economy.
The visit follows Modi’s landmark trip to Brazil last year, the first by an Indian prime minister in more than 50 years, underscoring renewed momentum in bilateral relations between the two emerging global powers.
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