Lula signs agreements with Vietnam, in defense, education and agriculture

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed this Monday (25) agreements with Vietnam in the areas of education, agriculture and defense. The Asian country’s Prime Minister, Pham Mihn Chinh, is on an official visit to Brazil.

It is the first visit by a senior Vietnamese official to Brazil in 15 years. In addition to the topics on the bilateral agenda, the leaders addressed regional issues, such as the rapprochement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Mercosur.

After the meeting, in a statement to the press, Lula said that he accepted an invitation to go to Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, in 2024. Next year, the two countries will celebrate 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Lula also thanked Chinh for Vietnam’s support for Brazil’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

“We are two countries from the Global South committed to peace, multilateralism, sustainable development and the fight against hunger and poverty. We want greater representation in international governance”, highlighted Lula.

“Everyone knows the performance that Brazil has been doing for a long time, so that we can have a more active, more representative global governance with much more decision-making power, especially when it comes to conflicts or the climate issue”, he added. the president.

The topic has been recurring on the presidential agenda. Lula defends greater representation of developing countries in multilateral bodies.

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Agreements

In the area of ​​agriculture, an action plan was signed to expand cooperation between the two countries. “It will allow us to move forward in opening the Vietnamese market to new Brazilian agricultural products,” said Lula.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed in the defense area, which aims to pave the way for exports of products such as aircraft, and a work plan for cooperation between diplomatic academies was adopted.

According to the President of the Republic, negotiations for cooperation in the area of ​​science, technology and innovation are advanced.

In November, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos (PCdoB), will go to Vietnam to hold the first meeting of the Joint Science and Technology Commission. “There is potential for joint initiatives in artificial intelligence and startups,” she explained.

Business

In addition to the topics on the bilateral agenda, the leaders addressed regional issues, such as the rapprochement between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Mercosur.

According to Lula, Vietnam’s interest in concluding a trade agreement with Mercosur was discussed. He committed to taking the issue to South American partners, taking advantage of the Brazilian presidency of the bloc.

“It is in our interest to bring Mercosur closer to Asean. Southeast Asian countries account for almost 6.5% of GDP [Produto Interno Bruto] world in purchasing power parity. Brazilian exports to the group of Southeast Asian countries already amount to half of what we export to the European Union”, he highlighted.

Soon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, should go to Indonesia to discuss an action plan for cooperation between Brazil and Asean.

In 2022, bilateral trade reached a record US$6.4 billion. Brazilian exports totaled US$3.4 billion and imports exceeded US$2.9 billion. Brazil is the main supplier of soybeans and pork and the second largest supplier of chicken meat and cotton to Vietnam.

“Vietnam is the sixth largest market for Brazilian agribusiness products. We want to expand this flow, and also diversify it, with more products with high added value”, guaranteed Lula.

Still this Monday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will give a talk at Itamaraty about Vietnam’s perspectives on Brazil and the world.