Global South Unity: India, Brazil to Bolster Security & Economic Ties
11:18 09.07.2025 (Updated: 11:37 09.07.2025)
© AP Photo / Luis NovaIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hold up their hands during a meeting at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)

© AP Photo / Luis Nova
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PM Modi and President Lula appreciated prospects of enhanced defence-industrial cooperation in the domains of land systems, maritime assets and aerial capabilities, the India-Brazil joint statement said.
India and Brazil have agreed to strengthen ties across all major sectors, including defence, counter-terrorism and trade and industry among others, according to a joint statement released after restricted and delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at Alvorada Palace in Brasilia on Tuesday (local time).
Delivering the joint press statement, Prime Minister Modi said that India-Brazil cooperation wasn't only relevant for the Global South but for the world.
"Today, as the world goes through a period of tension and uncertainty... India–Brazil partnership stands as an important pillar of stability and balance. We are in full agreement that all disputes must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy," the PM said.
The joint statement said that the two leaders chartered a "strategic roadmap" to strengthen ties around five "priority pillars"- defense and security, food and nutritional security, energy transition and climate change, digital transformation and emerging technologies and industrial partnerships in strategic areas.
Six major memorandums and agreements were signed between the two nations, including on combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime, sharing of large-scale digital solutions, cooperation in renewable energy, agricultural research, exchange and mutual protection of classified information and in the field of intellectual property.
Both the countries also decided to establish a ministerial-level mechanism to monitor trade, commerce and investment.
During a joint press briefing, Prime Minister Modi announced that both the countries would work towards increasing bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030. Towards this end, both the sides also decided to further expand the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), the joint statement read.
In the defence sector, Modi and Lula called upon their respective defence industries to explore new areas of collaboration and establish industrial partnerships.
"Recognizing the convergent views and strategic complementarities in defense and security matters between Brazil and India, the leaders welcomed the growing defense cooperation, including participation in joint military exercises and the exchange of high-level defense delegations," the joint statement said.
Both the leaders also welcomed the signing of the agreement on exchange and mutual protection of classified information to promote deeper cooperation in various strategic sectors.
In the realm of counter-terror cooperation, Prime Minister Modi expressed his deep appreciation of Brazil for condemning the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April.
"Both sides stressed the urgent need for a united international response to terrorism and stressed that such heinous acts have no justification," the joint statement said. Both sides also backed the upcoming United Nations Convention on Cybercrime, set to be signed in Vietnam in coming weeks.
Lula backed Modi's call for concerted actions against all UN designated terrorists and terrorist entities and disrupting terror-financing channels at various multilateral forums.
Further, both the leaders agreed to deepen bilateral and economic ties amid growing global "protectionism", the joint statement said, while backing cooperation in local currency financing, climate finance, capital markets as well as expanding India's United Payments Interface (UPI) into Brazil.
They identified four key sectors for industrial collaboration- pharmaceuticals, defence equipment, mining and oil and gas sector.
"They noted with satisfaction the increasing number of Indian pharmaceutical companies with operations in Brazil and further encouraged the establishment of partnerships with Brazilian health and pharmaceutical companies to assist in local production of essential medicines, including generic medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)," the joint statement said.