Brazilian President committed' to strengthening ties, says India

New Delhi: In a significant move, India on Thursday praised Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who will be visiting the country from January 24 to 27 and will be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade this year, and described him as “an elected leader from a democratic country” who is “committed” to strengthening the strategic ties between the two nations. The remarks were made in response to a question from a journalist asking why India had invited the Brazilian leader who is known for his far-right image and controversial utterances in the past.

Government sources, meanwhile, indicated that during the upcoming visit and after talks between the Brazilian President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Saturday, the two countries may ink about “14 to 15” pacts in various spheres, including cyber-security, oil and natural gas, bio-energy and investment. Both the countries are also cooperating on “agri-tech incubation” programmes and “start-ups”.

At a special briefing on Thursday, MEA’s secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh pointed out that India is “giving great importance to engaging with Brazil and its leaders”.

She also said that during the visit, India and Brazil would discuss the menace of terrorism as well as other issues of both regional and global importance. She also added that both countries have been in discussions over their common quest to become permanent members of the UNSC.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the MEA had said, “Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro will be paying a visit to India from Jan-uary 24-27 at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. President Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at India’s 71st Republic Day Parade on January 26.”