Lula deepens cooperation between Brazil and Indonesia

In yet another stage of the Brazilian government’s diplomatic offensive to rebuild sovereign and active foreign policy, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva concluded his visit to Indonesia with a series of strategic agreements and the announcement of Brazil’s commitment to becoming a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The visit marked Lula’s return to Indonesia after 17 years — the last one was in 2008, when the strategic partnership between the two countries was established. Since then, bilateral ties have intensified, with emphasis on the visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to Brazil last July. According to Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, this sequence of presidential meetings in a short period of time demonstrates that Brazil-Indonesia relations are going through their best historical moment.

The Brazilian delegation was robust and also included the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro; the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos; the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira; the executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Márcio Elias Rosa; the president of the Central Bank, Gabriel Galípolo; the president of ApexBrasil, Jorge Viana; the president of IBGE, Marcio Pochmann; in addition to more than 100 businesspeople from different sectors.

Strategic agreements and commercial strengthening

The agenda included meetings with Indonesian authorities and businesspeople, with highlights being a meeting with around 20 local business leaders and the closing of a forum that brought together around 400 participants. During the meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, eight bilateral agreements were signed in the areas of mining, energy, agriculture, science and technology, as well as statistical cooperation. Private instruments were also signed with a focus on the energy transition and the control of critical mineral production chains.

Lula celebrated the announcement that the Portuguese language will be offered as an optional subject in Indonesian schools, strengthening cultural ties between the two countries. In the scientific field, a memorandum of understanding was signed to promote joint research in biodiversity, climate change, space technology and clean energy.

Bilateral trade, currently worth around US$6 billion, was considered below the potential of the two nations, which together have almost 500 million inhabitants and share vast forest reserves. Indonesia already ranks as the fifth destination for Brazilian agribusiness exports, and there is an expectation of progress in negotiations for an agreement between Mercosur and Indonesia by December 2025, with a focus on trade facilitation and the reduction of sanitary and phytosanitary barriers.

Lula took the opportunity to defend the use of local currencies in trade between the two countries. “Within the scope of Brics, the Brazilian Pix and the Indonesian Qris offer models of effective and accessible payment systems, which can inspire measures that will facilitate trade in local currencies between the bloc’s countries,” said the president during an event with Brazilian and Indonesian businesspeople.

International prominence

At the press conference, Lula highlighted his optimism with the results. “We came to seek balanced partnerships, to sell, buy and invest. Trade worth US$6.3 billion is very little for countries with populations of 215 million and 280 million,” he stated. The president thanked Apex and the more than 100 Brazilian businesspeople who participated in the mission, highlighting the importance of diversifying economic, commercial, university and scientific partnerships.

Lula also commented on his unprecedented participation as Brazilian president in an Asean summit, celebrating the rapprochement with the bloc and reiterating Brazil’s desire to become a full member. “We are participating in the African Union, the European Union, Celac and now Asean. Brazil needs to be present where the future of the world is decided”, he said.

Regarding the Brazilian economic situation, Lula highlighted growth above 3% in recent years and stated that international travel aims to expand the trade balance, attract investments and strengthen reserves.

Lula and Trump

During the press conference, Lula also answered questions about the long-awaited meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, scheduled to take place in Malaysia. The Brazilian president said he expects a frank and unrestricted conversation, with a willingness to discuss any topic — from Gaza to Venezuela, including critical minerals and social media. “There is no veto on any subject. The important thing is that there is good will to overcome differences and normalize relations between Brazil and the United States”, he stated.

At the end of the visit, Lula was surprised with an early celebration of his 80th birthday, organized by the Indonesian government. In an emotional tone, he thanked him for the warm welcome and reinforced the importance of the trip for strengthening relations between the two countries. Closing the official agenda, the president defended the expansion of commercial and diplomatic partnerships, highlighting the role of leaders in building bridges between nations. “The world demands from political leaders more willingness to negotiate and make things happen,” he declared.

Still in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, Lula met with the secretary general of Asean, Kao Kim Hourn, in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. The president then embarked for Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, where he will participate in the entity’s 47th Summit, this Sunday (26).