New delhi: India and Brazil on Wednesday discussed ways of deepening defence cooperation. A statement from the Indian Defence Ministry said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Vice President of Brazil Geraldo Alckmin and Defence Minister of Brazil Jos© M¡cio Monteiro Filho in New Delhi.
According to Kuwait News Agency, both sides reviewed the progress of ongoing defence-related initiatives and identified priority areas for joint work, including exploring opportunities for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to advance defence cooperation focusing on military-to-military exchanges, including joint exercises and training visits.
Alckmin, who arrived in New Delhi today on a three-day visit accompanied by cabinet ministers, senior officials, and a business delegation, is set to hold the inaugural Trade Ministerial Review Meeting tomorrow with Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.
Alckmin will also meet Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep S Puri to discuss various issues of mutual interest. He is also expected to attend the India-Brazil Business Forum and visit the All India Institute of Ayurveda.
India and Brazil previously agreed to establish a Ministerial-level Review Mechanism to foster trade and investment, and set a bilateral trade target of USD 20 billion in the next five years during the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Brazil.
The visit is envisaged to provide an opportunity to review bilateral trade and investment, identify new priority sectors, set a roadmap towards achieving the trade target, and further strengthen the multifaceted Strategic Partnership, the statement said.