MANILA, Philippines – Bumisita sa Pilipinas nitong Biyernes, Agosto 23 si Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira para sa isang official visit, marka ng kauna-unahang pagbisita sa bansa ng isang Brazilian foreign minister mula nang maitatag ang diplomatic relations ng dalawang bansa 80 taon na ang nakalilipas.
Sinimulan nina Vieira at ng kanyang delegasyon ang pagbisita sa pamamagitan ng bilateral meeting kasama si Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.
Ang dalawang opisyal ay pumirma ng dalawang kasunduan sa technical cooperation at educational cooperation.
Inaasahang pipirma ng kasunduan ang dalawang Partido para sa Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, na magpapalakas sa ugnayan ng Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) at Brazilian Space Agency (AEB).
“Minister Vieira’s visit is a clear demonstration of Brazil’s commitment to deepen its engagement with Asia, especially ASEAN and the Philippines. It is a partnership that transcends distance and language barrier and one that is rooted in our mutual desire to improve our peoples’ well-being and prosperity,” ani Manalo.
Napag-usapan din sa bilateral meeting ang iba pang isyu.
“The Philippines stands as an important and reliable partner of our endeavors. ASEAN opens an additional platform for our engagement in areas such as energy transition, science, technology, innovation, and agriculture,” pahayag ni Vieira.
Ipinaliwanag ni Vieira na ang dalawang kasunduan ay pinirmahan para gabayan ang implementasyon ng mga proyekto na mahalaga sa pag-unlad ng dalawang bansa.
Magbibigay-daan din ito sa mga estudyanteng Pinoy na lumahok sa Brazilian students exchange programs at vice versa.
Nais din ng Brazil na pataasin ang kalakalan sa Pilipinas.
“Secretary Manalo and I have also gone through our trade figures. He noted that trade flows between Brazil and the Philippines have increased by 50% over the past decade, and we are determined to further elevate these numbers. Brazil is an important and reliable supplier of animal protein to the Philippine market, ranking first in beef and poultry and second in pork,” ani Vieira.
Isa pang dapat tutukan ng dalawang bansa ay ang pagpapalakas sa defense cooperation.
“I am very pleased with the state of cooperation between Embraer and the Philippine Air Force, which included the provision of probably 6 Super Tucano airplanes and possibly of further operations,” dagdag ni Vieira. RNT/JGC
