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New Delhi: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during his official visit to India, said he was touched by a special gesture that reminded him of the surprise he had arranged for Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Brazil last year.Speaking at the India-Brazil Economic Forum on Sunday, the President noted that during the official lunch and dinner, songs by Brazilian composers – including the famous Asa Branca – were played, leaving him “surprised” by the thoughtful honour.
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“I was surprised yesterday, at the state dinner and at lunch as well. I don’t know if Brazilian journalists remember this, but when Prime Minister Modi went to visit Brazil last year, we did a research on which song he liked best.
We went to São Paulo to try to find a singer who could sing the song that he enjoyed so much. So we surprised him at Palacio da Alvorada in Brazil, and he was clearly touched by the song we chose to play for him.”“Yesterday I was surprised because we started hearing a song during lunch. I thought that song had something to do with us… Then they played other songs from Brazilian composers. They played an Asa Branca song,” Lula added.
He added: “I was very touched by that because I did not remember. I did not imagine that they remembered the good reception we gave him and so they decided to give me a gift in return.”President Lula was on a state visit to India from February 18 to 22, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral relations and expand strategic cooperation. Addressing a joint press conference after the delegation-level talks, Prime Minister Modi outlined the main outcomes of their discussions. The two leaders set a goal to raise bilateral trade to $20 billion within five years and signed agreements in areas including rare earth minerals, digital partnership and mining cooperation.Energy cooperation also emerged as a key pillar, as the two sides agreed to accelerate cooperation in the field of renewable energy and sustainable fuels. President Lula described the meeting as a “partnership between two major global powers of the Global South” and stressed the strategic importance of India-Brazil relations.He said: “My dear friend Modi, it is a pleasure for me to be back in this country for the sixth time. The meeting between India and Brazil is a wonderful meeting. We are not just the two largest democracies in the Global South. This is a meeting between a digital superpower and a renewable energy superpower.” He stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation, adding: “The turbulent global scenario requires our countries to strengthen and deepen our strategic dialogue.
India and Brazil are crucial votes in the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and the G20.President Lula was accompanied by a delegation of business leaders and participated in the 2nd AI Impact Summit, as well as an official banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu.
