Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

India-Brazil Joint Statement

At the invitation of the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. LuizInácio Lula da Silva, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh, visited Brazil on 15 April, 2010. The two Leaders held a bilateral meeting and also met at the 4th Summit of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum (on 15 April) as well as the Second Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) Summit (on 16 April).

2. At the bilateral meeting and working lunch, President Lula and Prime Minister Singh held detailed discussions on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues and renewed their commitment to strengthen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership. Both Leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing cooperation and collaboration between the two countries which has intensified in recent years.

3. They expressed satisfaction at the continued expansion of bilateral trade in recent years which reached US$ 5.6 billion in 2009 despite the impact of the international financial crisis. They noted, however, the need for increased efforts to achieve the bilateral trade target of US$ 10 billion by 2010 including the diversification of bilateral trade particularly in value-added sectors. In this context, they noted the positive outcome of the Trade Monitoring Mechanism, the second meeting of which was held on 15 March 2010 in São Paulo, and the scheduling of the next meeting in October 2010 in New Delhi. The Leaders reiterated their intent to hold the Second Meeting of the CEO Forum shortly.

4. Both Leaders noted that bilateral investments were growing in diverse areas. They called on business and industry in both countries to utilize the opportunities available in the areas of Energy, Agriculture, Mining, Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure and Construction, among others to further expand bilateral investments.

5. Both Leaders welcomed the coming into operation from June 2009 of the Preferential Trade Agreement between MERCOSUR and India. They expressed the view that there is a need to significantly increase the number of tariff lines in the PTA, so that the coverage of the Agreement could be expanded to a sizeable level. The Leaders urged that the ongoing negotiations in this regard be concluded successfully in a time bound manner.

6. The two Leaders reiterated the need for active enhancement of cooperation in Science and Technology, Nuclear Energy, Space and Defence for mutual benefit. They also noted that Biotechnology, IT, Marine Science, and Nano-technology have been identified as areas with significant potential for cooperation.

7. The two Leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector including in Hydrocarbons and New & Renewable energies. In this regard, they directed the Joint Working Group on energy to convene an early meeting. Brazil welcomed the interest of Indian oil companies to participate in future ANP bidding processes for exploration of oil in conformity with its national policies in this sector. They reaffirmed their intention to encourage better coordination of their positions on the issue of Bio-fuels at multilateral fora.

8. Both Leaders expressed satisfaction at the ongoing bilateral cooperation in the Defence sector. They welcomed the appointment of Defence Attachés in their respective Diplomatic Missions in Brazil and in India. They noted the increasing contacts between EMBRAER and DRDO towards the joint development of high-technology military aircrafts. They underlined that the recent visit of Minister of Defence of Brazil, H.E. Nelson Jobim, to India in March 2010 had opened opportunities for enhanced Defence cooperation particularly in the field of joint production, research and development. Both Leaders welcomed the decision to host the First Meeting of the India-Brazil Joint Defence Committee, in India, this year, at mutually convenient dates.

9. The two Leaders reiterated the importance that Brazil and India attach to bilateral electoral cooperation and noted with satisfaction the ongoing dialogue between the Election Commission of India and Electoral Authorities in Brazil, which saw the visit of Mr. Carlos Augusto Ayres de FreitasBritto, President of the Electoral Superior Tribunal, Brazil, to India for the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Election Commission of India on 25 January 2010, and would lead to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Election Commission of India and the Electoral Superior Tribunal of Brazil shortly.

10. Both Leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing cultural exchanges between India and Brazil. The Brazilian side welcomed India’s decision to open a Cultural Center in São Paulo, the first of its kind in the Americas. The Indian side commended the Brazilian side on the successful organization of the “Brazilian Cultural Week” held in India in 2008. The Brazilian side also welcomed India’s intention to organize a Festival of India in Brazil in early 2011.

11. Both Leaders welcomed the convergence of positions between Brazil and India in multilateral fora and in groups such as IBSA and BRIC, which is reflective of the growing importance of developing countries and of their role in shaping a more balanced international order in a multi-polar world.

12. The two Leaders shared the view on the urgent need to strengthen the participation of developing countries in the decision-making processes within the multilateral financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and political bodies, such as the United Nations. They reaffirmed their commitment for the reform of the United Nations, particularly of the Security Council, including through its expansion in both permanent and non-permanent membership, with a view to improving its efficiency, representativeness, and legitimacy needed to meet the challenges faced by the international community today. The two Leaders reiterated their support to each other in their quest for permanent membership in an expanded UNSC. They also expressed their commitment to join efforts to convey to other countries the importance and urgency of the expansion of the UNSC in both permanent and non-permanent categories. President Lula expressed appreciation for India’s support for the election of Brazil as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for 2010-11 and reiterated the support of Brazil to India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat of the UNSC for the period of 2011-12.

13. President Lula and Prime Minister Singh strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whoever, wherever and for whatever purpose and stressed that there can be no justification, whatsoever, for any acts of terrorism. They agreed to support the global struggle against terrorism in conformity with the principles of the U.N. Charter, relevant international conventions and International Law. Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue efforts for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on international terrorism.

14. They recalled the significant progress already achieved in the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations. They called upon all Members to work towards a balanced agreement and to refrain from seeking excessive and additional levels of ambition from a few developing economies. The prolonged inconclusiveness of the negotiations may threaten the credibility of the rule-based multilateral trading system, which has proved its relevance in resisting protectionism during the recent global economic crisis. Brazil and India will continue to make all efforts to build a multilateral trading system that puts development at its center.

15. President Lula and Prime Minister Singh reiterated that early conclusion of the São Paulo Round of GSTP Negotiations among developing countries in accordance with the agreement reached last December will contribute in a concrete manner towards increasing South-South trade and economic cooperation.

16. Both Leaders reaffirmed their concern for Climate Change and its adverse impacts. They committed themselves to work in close coordination including in the BASIC group towards a comprehensive, balanced, and effective outcome at the 16th Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, to be held in Mexico in November-December 2010. They welcomed the Resolution of the UN General Assembly to hold a Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, in 2012.

17. Both Leaders reiterated their commitment to fight hunger and poverty, promote democratic values, and foster socially-inclusive economic development policies in their respective countries.

18. Prime Minister of India, H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh, sincerely thanked the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. LuizInácio Lula da Silva, and to the Brazilian government for the kind hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their visit to Brasilia.