India (Commonwealth Union)_ Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a ceremonial welcome in Brasília, marking a historic moment. Accordingly, PM Modi is the first Indian leader in 57 years to make a full state visit to Brazil. His trip not only advances India’s diplomatic reach but also underscores its role as an active leader within the Global South.
A historic welcome
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, enthusiastically welcomed Modi to the Alvorada Palace. The leaders exchanged warm hugs and presented their respective delegations, demonstrating mutual respect. Additionally, a 114-horse guard of honor stood at attention to welcome the leaders as India and Brazil’s national anthems played. A classical Indian music ensemble was also performed, linking both nations through culture. Earlier, at Brasília’s airport, Modi landed to the drumbeats of Batala Mundo, an Afro-Brazilian percussion group renowned for their Samba-Reggae. Taking to social media, Modi wrote, “At Brasília airport, the Batala Mundo band played some wonderful compositions. Their performance promotes Afro‑Brazilian percussion, especially Samba‑Reggae from Salvador da Bahia.” This cultural reception set an upbeat tone for the visit.
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Meeting the Indian diaspora
The Indian diaspora added their own layer of warmth, waving flags and cheering as Modi arrived. He acknowledged their enthusiasm on social media writing, “Landed in Brasília a short while ago. The Indian community accorded a memorable welcome, once again highlighting how passionate our diaspora is and how connected they remain with their roots.” Later, at his hotel, Modi joined the Indian community members and local artists for spiritual presentations and cultural performances, even joining them for photographs, a gesture of goodwill and connection.
Brazil’s highest civil honor
During the historic visit, President Lula presented Modi with Brazil’s highest civilian honor, the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross. Modi received this award for his efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and collaborate on global platforms. During a joint press briefing, Modi expressed his gratitude saying, “Being honored with Brazil’s highest national award today is a moment of immense pride and emotion—not only for me but for 140 crore Indians.” He thanked President Lula, the Brazilian government, and the people of Brazil, saying the award would inspire further collaboration between the two nations. This marks Modi’s 26th foreign national honor since he took office in May 2014.
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Strengthening the strategic partnership
Central to Modi’s visit were high-level talks with President Lula to deepen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership. These dialogues covered a wide range of subjects:
- Trade and Investment: The two leaders promised to achieve a bilateral trade target of US $20 billion over the next five years. Additionally, Brazil’s president promised to triple trade volumes with India soon and expressed Brazil’s Embraer plans to expand its presence throughout India.
- Defense and Security: According to Modi and Lula, the growing defense cooperation is an indicator of deep trust. The two leaders also discussed connecting defense industries and promoting shared research and collaboration.
- Energy and Climate Change: The leaders renewed promises to boost clean energy cooperation and protect the environment, which was considered a top mutual priority.
- Space and Technology: Discussions also covered high-tech subjects like partnership in space exploration, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and digital public infrastructure.
- Agriculture and Food Security: Both sides emphasized the significance of agriculture and its contribution to their economies and promised to exchange research, best practices, and technology.
- Health and Pharmaceuticals: The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the need for cooperation in health infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- People-to-People Ties: Cultural exchange remained an important aspect of the discussion. The leaders shared plans to deepen ties through sports, India in cricket, Brazil in football, as well as through education, tourism, and capacity building initiatives.
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Shared stance on terrorism and the Global South
Amid rising global instability, both leaders voiced strong unity on combating terrorism. Modi said, “Our approach to the war against terrorism is aligned: zero tolerance and zero double standards. Double standards on terrorism do not have any space. We condemn strongly terrorism as also those who encourage it.” They also spoke about promoting the Global South not as a mere aid recipient, but as an equal partner shaping global solutions. This visit reaffirms India’s position as a bridge-builder, providing the Global South a stronger voice on the international arena.
Signing of new agreements
To achieve these goals, six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed:
- Counter-terrorism and transnational crime
- Renewable energy cooperation
- Digital solutions
- Intellectual property rights
- Agricultural research
- Mutual protection of classified information
These agreements support stronger institutional cooperation in key fields that affect global and regional stability.
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A broader diplomatic mission
After Brazil, Modi’s tour continues to Namibia, where he will address the country’s Parliament. The Brazil leg is his fourth stop in a historic five-nation tour that also includes Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Argentina. Taken together, the journey highlights India’s expanding diplomatic outreach across Africa and Latin America, and emphasizes its vision of a more balanced and inclusive global order, one where the Global South leads in shaping international policies.
