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Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received, today, the President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, and the first lady of that country, Sehba Musharraf, at the Planalto Palace.
This is the first visit to Brazil by a Pakistani head of state. According to the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, bilateral exchanges between Brazil and Pakistan have totaled approximately US$ 77 million so far this year.
From January to October, Brazil exported US$ 72 million to Pakistan and imported US$ 4.9 million from there. The chief Brazilian products consumed in Pakistan are beef fat, tractor parts and accessories, and cotton.
Besides commercial relations, the Presidents are expected to discuss coordination in the ambit of the G-20 and the war against hunger and poverty.
Pakistan is a member of the G-20, the group of agricultural export-producing countries in which Brazil exercises one of the leadership roles.
Moreover, Musharraf was one of the participants at the Meeting of World Leaders for Action against Hunger and Poverty, on September 20, in New York.
The Pakistani President is scheduled to pay a visit to the National Congress, where he will pay his respects to José Sarney and João Paulo Cunha, presidents of the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies, respectively.
Tomorrow, November 30, he will proceeed to São Paulo, where he will open the Brazil-Pakistan business seminar. He also plans to visit the Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company, Embraer, in São José dos Campos, São Paulo state. From Brazil he will move on to Argentina and Mexico.
Trade Exchanges
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva affirmed that Brazil and Pakistan will promote mutual trade exchanges. According to Lula, the expansion of trade relations, which doubled this year, "is an indication of the great potential that exists."
In his address prior to the luncheon, Lula pointed out that the meeting between Musharraf and Brazilian entrepreneurs in São Paulo, will facilitate the identification of new business opportunities.
"His visit to Brazil reinforces my confidence in the future of our relationship and the contribution we can make to a less asymmetrical international order and a trade geography more suited to our interests," President Lula emphasized.
According to the Brazilian President, the four bilateral treaties signed today in the spheres of the war on narcotraffic, nutritional security, visa exemptions, and the establishment of regular consulting mechanisms for matters of mutual interest represent an assurance that Brazil and Pakistan will continue to find innovative ways to get together to satisfy common interests.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
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