EAM Jaishankar, Brazil’s Vice President Alckmin Discuss Cooperation in Trade, Energy, and Connectivity

New Delhi [India] : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Brazil’s Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, in New Delhi on Friday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two nations across key sectors including trade, energy, investment, and technology.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “A pleasure meeting @geraldoalckmin, Vice-President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services of Brazil. Discussed the potential for greater cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, health and technology.”

Alckmin’s visit to India, which began on Wednesday, is part of a broader effort to boost bilateral collaboration in trade, industry, energy, and strategic affairs. On Thursday, he met with India’s Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding trade and economic engagement.

“The two leaders expressed optimism about strengthening trade and economic ties. They discussed enhancing energy cooperation, deepening partnerships in pharmaceuticals and defence, boosting research investments, improving connectivity, and collaborating in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence and digitalisation,” the Vice President’s Office said in a post on X.

Earlier this week, Alckmin also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to review ongoing defence and security cooperation. Both sides emphasised the strategic importance of defence ties, which Singh described as one of the five key pillars of India-Brazil relations.

Alckmin’s visit follows the sixth India-Brazil Strategic Dialogue held on October 3 in New Delhi, co-chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Brazil’s Ambassador Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim. The dialogue covered cooperation in defence, energy, critical minerals, health, and pharmaceuticals, as well as coordination on multilateral platforms including BRICS, IBSA, and the upcoming COP-30 climate summit to be hosted by Brazil.

Economic engagement remains a central focus of India-Brazil relations. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Brazil in July, both countries agreed to raise bilateral trade to USD 20 billion within the next five years.

Vice President Alckmin’s ongoing visit is expected to further solidify the India-Brazil strategic partnership and set the stage for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s state visit to India next year, aimed at advancing the roadmap outlined during the Modi-Lula summit in July.