NEW DELHI, February 22 — President Droupadi Murmu welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi and hosted a banquet in his honor, reaffirming the growing strategic partnership between India and Brazil.
President Murmu thanked President Lula for his participation and valuable contribution to the India AI Impact Summit. She also congratulated him on Brazil’s successful hosting of the BRICS and COP-30 summits last year, according to an official release.
The President noted with satisfaction that the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership continues to make steady progress across a wide range of sectors, including trade and investment, defense, oil and gas, biofuels, agriculture and livestock, healthcare and traditional medicine, space, science and technology, digital cooperation, and cybersecurity.
Highlighting Brazil’s position as India’s largest trade partner in Latin America, President Murmu emphasized the significant potential to expand and diversify bilateral trade. She said India is keen to expand the Preferential Trade Agreement with MERCOSUR and remains committed to strengthening its trade engagement with Brazil.
President Murmu also noted that agricultural cooperation between the two nations has strengthened in recent years. She emphasized the importance of enhancing collaboration in research and technology transfer, particularly in crop production, irrigation techniques, post-harvest management, and biotechnology.
She further underscored the strong partnership between India and Brazil in the energy sector, encompassing both conventional and renewable energy. The President appreciated Brazil’s continued support for the Global Biofuel Alliance and noted that cooperation under the International Solar Alliance has also been productive.
The President highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation in critical minerals and rare earth materials, noting that a significant agreement in this sector had been signed during the visit.
Emphasizing their shared role as leading voices of the Global South, President Murmu said India and Brazil must continue working together to advocate for reforms in multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to better reflect current global realities.
Both leaders agreed that there is tremendous potential to deepen bilateral cooperation further. President Murmu expressed confidence that under President Lula’s leadership, India and Brazil would continue to strengthen their partnership.
President Lula arrived in India on February 18 and participated in the India AI Impact Summit from February 19 to 20. This marks his fifth visit to India as President of Brazil and comes seven months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Brasília in July 2025.
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