UAE And Brazil Mark 50 Years Of Diplomatic Ties, Pledge Long-Term Sustainability Partnership

In the wake of marking 50 years of diplomatic ties between the UAE and Brazil, the two countries released a joint statement Wednesday, highlighting their goal of building a dynamic, forward-looking partnership focused on long-term sustainability.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his team on Nov. 17 during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Following this, both leaders explored new areas of cooperation, including innovation, renewable energy, AI, technology, agriculture, defense, trade and cultural exchanges.

They also highlighted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Oct. 19 for government experience exchange, aimed at sharing knowledge and staying ahead of global trends, WAM reported.

During the visit, two agreements were signed:

• A MoU between the UAE and Brazil to set up a joint plan to encourage UAE investments in key sectors in Brazil.
• A MoU between the UAE and Brazil's foreign ministries for cooperation in Africa.

Both countries emphasized the importance of their strong partnership. Brazil is the UAE's largest trade partner in South America, while the Middle Eastern country is the former's second-largest trade partner in the MENA region. In 2023, their non-oil trade surpassed $4 billion.

This will grow further with the ongoing talks between the UAE and MERCOSUR to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Al Nahyan and Lula da Silva praised the progress made in the third round of talks in Uruguay this month.

They are hopeful the negotiations will be completed by mid-2025, strengthening trade and investment. Al Nahyan praised Lula da Silva for Brazil's successful G20 Presidency in 2024, which concluded with the Leaders' Summit on Nov. 18-19.

As a guest country, the UAE supported Brazil's G20 priorities, including the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The UAE strongly supported this initiative and committed $100 million to it.

As part of the COP Presidencies Troika, both countries emphasized the need for more international cooperation and higher ambition in the next round of climate action plans (NDCs).

The UAE and Brazil were among the first to submit their updated NDCs, which aligned with the Paris Agreement, and encouraged other nations to do the same. The UAE praised Brazil's G20 Presidency for strongly supporting the outcomes of COP28 and for creating the Task Force for Global Mobilization against Climate Change.

This task force, which combined the Sherpa and Finance tracks for the first time, aimed to strengthen the G20's coordinated response to climate change.

Over the past 50 years, the UAE and Brazil have built a strong and active partnership, with key economic connections and collaboration on global issues.

Both countries reaffirm their commitment to strengthening their friendship for the next 50 years and beyond. Al Nahyan thanked Lula da Silva for the warm hospitality shown to the UAE delegation.