Brazil wants Việt Nam to be gateway into "economically,cuoc co keo politically important" ASEAN: President Lula

Brazillian President Lula da Silva at the press conference in Hà Nội on March 29 before wrapping up his three-day State visit to Việt Nam. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that his second visit to Việt Nam had been a very productive one, with significant outcomes aimed at strengthening the Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

“I am returning to Brazil after a week of travel, accompanied by an important delegation, possibly the most significant one that a Brazilian President has ever travelled with,” President Lula told a press conference in Hà Nội before wrapping up his three-day state visit to Việt Nam.

The presence of 11 ministers along with two parliamentary leaders of Brazil underscored the country's growing interest in Việt Nam and the close ties between their people.

During his three-day visit, the Brazilian leader met with the four most senior Vietnamese leaders—including Vietnamese counterpart President Lương Cường, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn—and urged closer cooperation to advance both countries’ development goals.

"I was in Việt Nam in 2008 as the President of Brazil, and visiting again 17 years later, I have seen the strength of the Vietnamese people. The country's growth is evident—you can see its progress in infrastructure, economic development, and the improvement in the quality of life of its people," the Brazilian president said.

"Việt Nam has grown by nearly 8 per cent annually. Few countries in the world, except for China, have managed to sustain such consistent growth over such a long period," he noted.

"It is essential that we understand that Brazil can serve as a gateway for Việt Nam into Latin America and South America. It is also important for us to work towards bringing Việt Nam into an agreement with Mercosur. Likewise, Việt Nam can be a gateway for Brazil into ASEAN. Just for that reason alone, this visit was already worthwhile," President Lula told the press.

The Brazilian leader said Việt Nam announced during his visit that it would allow import of Brazilian beef, a move seen as a step toward balancing trade.

Brazilian companies would also prioritise investment in food processing plants in Việt Nam, he said.

Brazil is also in talks with Việt Nam about Embraer selling 50 airplanes and exploring the possibility of setting up production activities in Việt Nam, allowing the country to participate in assembling Embraer aircraft.

"Việt Nam could serve as a gateway for our 150-passenger jets into the ASEAN market, which is extremely important both economically and politically," President Lula said.

"We invited Việt Nam to Brazil and invest in our country, and we encouraged Brazilian entrepreneurs to invest in Việt Nam. Now, the negotiation table has been set. Việt Nam has made its requests, we have made our offers, and now we must turn these discussions into real business opportunities between our two countries," the Brazilian leader said.

President Lula highlighted shared cultural interests, particularly football, as a way to deepen people-to-people ties.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation in the sport, and President Lula suggested that Việt Nam could send young players to be trained in Brazil after discussions with CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and the Ministry of Sports.

President Lula said the Vietnamese and Brazilian sides also discussed partnerships in science and technology, particularly in artificial intelligence and the integration of the internet into all public schools in both countries.

According to President Lula, Việt Nam and Brazil share perspectives on multilateralism and the need to improve governance at the United Nations, and Brazil is grateful for Việt Nam's continued support for Brazil in having a seat at the reformed UN Security Council.

He also urged the accompanying ministers and officials to "turn the political and economic discussions" into concrete plans and actions.

President Lula said he looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and the Vietnamese delegation back to Brazil for the BRICS Summit in July and for COP30 in November in Belém, Pará.

Brazil aims to expand cooperation with Việt Nam on climate change and environmental protection at both bilateral and multilateral levels, he added. — VNS