Hasina is likely to visit Brazil in July
Published : 08 Apr 2024, 01:09 AM
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has said his country will consider Bangladesh’s inclusion in the BRICS bloc of developing nations ‘very strongly’.
“We will examine the candidature of countries and Bangladesh is a country very close to us,” he said after meeting his Bangladesh counterpart Hasan Mahmud in Dhaka on Sunday.
“We would share principles, share positions. We will consider it from our side very strongly and very positively,” he said.
The alliance extended the opportunity to six nations to join the bloc at its summit in South Africa last year. Although Bangladesh had expressed interest to become a member, it was not given an invitation this time.
Its members are China, the world's second largest economy, as well as Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. The expansion added Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.
Besides BRICS, Vieira said he discussed with Mahmud “new ways and new avenues of cooperation in areas to be exploited to have more balanced trade.
“And I explained to the foreign minister questions of our tax system with relation to some exports of Bangladesh to Brazil, which have periodical review and we discussed the ways to review it and to improve this relation.”
With Brazil-Bangladesh trade reaching $2.3 billion in 2023, Brazil is the first trading partner of Bangladesh in Latin America, and Bangladesh is the second Brazilian trading partner in South Asia, Vieira said.
While exchanges with traditional Brazilian partners, in the European Union for example, remained mainly stabilised in the last decade, trade with Bangladesh increased almost threefold since 2014, according to him.
“At the same time we need to work to facilitate trade and investment, increase connectivity and diversify the list of our traded products.”
“The private sector in both countries has a meaningful role to play in this regard. That’s why I invited representatives for different sectors of the Brazilian economy to join me in this visit.”
Mahmud said they discussed the possible visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Brazil in July at the invitation of Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
“I think she will visit Brazil soon,” Vieira said. “Because she has worked very hard to increase the quality of life of the people of Bangladesh and promote the development of the country.”