The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh with the President of Brazil, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at official welcome ceremony at Sala de Estado, Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The President of Brazil Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva takes the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh around the Alvorada Palace, before the signing of agreements, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh shaking hands with the President of Brazil, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at official welcome ceremony at Sala de Estado, Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Smt. Gursharan Kaur with the President of Brazil, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife at the welcoming ceremony at Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of Brazil Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Alvorada Palace, before the signing of agreements, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of Brazil Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva watching the IBSA Cultural Programme at Caixa Economic Hall in honour of the visitors, in Brasilia, Brazil, on September 12, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh joins hands with the host country’s President of Brazil Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the President of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki at IBSA restricted meeting of Heads of HOS/G at Itamaraty Palace, Brasilia, Brazil on September 13, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the President of Brazil, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the President of South Africa, Mr. Thabo Mbeki sitting in historic IBSA Chair, in Brazil, on September 13, 2006.
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PM's statement at the Joint Press Conference with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil
September 12, 2006
Brazil
"It is indeed a pleasure and privilege to visit this beautiful country. I would like to thank President Lula for the extremely gracious reception and hospitality. My visit to Brazil is after a 38 year-old hiatus since the last visit by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The significance of this bilateral visit is further enhanced by the holding of the first IBSA Summit which would be taking place tomorrow.
India and Brazil are large pluralistic democracies. Our economic growth is broad-based and multifaceted. This provides opportunities for expansion of our bilateral trade and economic relations. Our economic growth is also of global significance, as part of the so-called BRIC countries.
I convey to President Lula today that India will support all efforts to ensure a qualitative transformation of our bilateral relations and their elevation to that of a strategic partnership. I am very happy that President Lula has graciously accepted this suggestion. To further facilitate and coordinate cooperation in various areas, a strategic dialogue has been agreed to.
Our bilateral trade has grown in the last five years. From a mere 500 million dollars in 2002, trade between our two countries has increased fivefold to reach 2.5 billion. We are hopeful of further rapid expansion in our bilateral trade in the coming years. Implementation of the India-MERCOSUR PTA and the proposed deepening and expansion of our trade relations in the framework of IBSA will be important steps in that direction.
We are indeed gratified that there has been an upsurge in investment flows. Major Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Ranbaxy, Dr. Reddy´s among others, have taken advantage of opportunities in the Brazilian market. ONGC Videsh has earmarked approximately 400 million dollars for acquisition of a state in an offshore block in South-East Brazil.
It is my sincere conviction that there is considerable scope for the expansion of our cooperation in the agricultural sector, particularly food processing. We would like greater interaction between our agricultural universities and food processing sectors. We invite Brazil to partake in India’s success in IT, Bio-technology and Pharmaceuticals.
We have supported the Ethanol Initiative proposed by President Lula. Indian companies from both public and private sector have evinced interest in exploring production opportunities in Brazil to meet the anticipated growth in Ethanol used in India for both industrial as well as automobile use.
India and Brazil have a long tradition of cooperation in international fora including on global trade and economic issues. We have worked together in the WTO and are both united in our desire for a successful conclusion of the Doha Round of negotiations. We have been partners in the G-4 efforts to work towards expansion of the Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council. Brazil will have the distinction of hosting the first Summit of IBSA tomorrow.
I am very satisfied with my discussions with President Lula this morning. We have covered a whole gamut of relations covering bilateral relations as well as regional arrangements and cooperation in multilateral fora. For me, this visit is a voyage of discovery, to explore in all sincerity the immense scope for expanding areas of cooperation between Brazil and India. In President Lula we have a brother and a friend. We admire the leadership that he has provided to the developing world as a whole. In him we have a world statesman and it has been a great honour and privilege for me personally to have worked very closely with President Lula in bringing our countries together in diverse fields. We have begun well. But we have a long journey ahead of us and we are confident of traveling that distance together. I have come to Brazil for the first time, but I am leaving behind a part of my heart. I wish him all success in the noble task of building a new Brazil which will be a source of mighty strength for all developing countries. We must endeavour and we shall be seeking to build a new international order which is both more equitable and more participatory developing countries. In that struggle, it is a great source of strength to us to have leaders of the eminence of President Lula. I thank you Mr. President for what you are.
I would like to thank President Lula again for his hospitality and I look forward to welcoming him in India."
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PM’s speech at the IBSA CEO's Business Meeting
September 13, 2006
Brasilia
"It was just over three years ago that our three democracies, open economies seeking to build inclusive societies, decided to come together, linking three great continents. Reaching across geographical distances, our partnership illustrates the global village in which we live together today. The success of our experiment to pursue development within the framework of an open economy and an open society is vital to the well being and empowerment of millions and millions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
We are heartened by the cooperation that has developed in the IBSA framework over the last three years. It is India´s firm belief that IBSA needs to be more than a project of three Governments. We are, therefore, pleased with the success of the Business Event that was held yesterday in which representatives of the business communities of all three countries participated.
The advantages of such trilateral cooperation are plainly evident when one considers, for example, the area of energy security. In IBSA, we are fortunate to have a veritable pool of expertise, wisdom and experience. Brazil is a world leader in the use of ethanol. South Africa has coal gasification technology and a well-developed synthetic fuel industry. India, on the other hand, has expertise in wind and solar energy. IBSA can be effective in utilizing our respective competitive strengths in these alternative energy technologies.
The increase in intra IBSA trade over the last three years is a matter of considerable satisfaction. We need to pursue with determination the target of US $ 10 billion in intra-IBSA trade that was set in the New Delhi Plan of Action adopted in March 2004. We are in discussion regarding a possible trade arrangement that would link India with MERCOSUR and the Southern African Customs Union. We expect this would create a large and expanding economic space that would allow the utilization of synergies in trade and technology. Besides trade liberalization, we also plan to institute arrangements that would address issues relating to the facilitation of trade in goods, services and of investments. As a start, we propose to establish an IBSA mechanism for exchange of information and of experiences on regulatory issues and for the organization of sector-specific workshops and seminars on technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures. We would also examine the possibilities of harmonizing standards.
We recognize that transportation links are critical and the challenge lies in operationalizing framework agreements in transport connectivity signed by the three countries. Trade and tourism remain much below potential because of problems of connectivity. On the other hand, for connectivity to be established, there is a requirement of a minimum demand base. There would be a willingness on our part to take bold decisions that have,as their basis, our common faith in the future of IBSA.
I am very happy to have had this opportunity to meet the representatives of the business communities of the three countries in the distinguished presence of the Presidents of Brazil and South Africa. In each of our countries, business and government must work together to fully exploit the potential of IBSA. And I have no doubt that there is immense potential in unexplored areas in diverse fields of social and economic activity. Governments can at best work towards facilitating this. The gathering of leaders of business and trade is an expression of our joint commitment to make IBSA a win-win experience for all of us. Promoting greater understanding of each other and fostering the habit of working together regionally, multilaterally and in the context of our three countries is essential in this regard. This Meeting today is, therefore, an important part of the IBSA Summit and we look forward to hearing what the captains of our business community have to say."
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PM´s speech at the Plenary IBSA Meeting
September 13, 2006
Brasilia
"It is always a pleasure to be with friends. We are, indeed, fortunate to count Brazil and South Africa among our closest friends. I am, therefore, personally very happy to be here today with the Presidents of both countries for the first IBSA Summit.
We thank you President Lula for hosting us in this enchanting green landscaped city of Brasilia. We also thank you for your gracious hospitality and for the excellent arrangements that have been made.
The holding of this historic Summit confirms the success of our three year-old experiment and that there is, indeed, a shared vision that unites our three countries.
The idea of IBSA is without precedent. Three countries, from three different continents, coming together to consult and coordinate on global issues of common concern. They are also collaborating in ways that strengthen their respective national efforts to address developmental challenges.
Despite the geographical distances that separate our countries, there is much that we have in common. All three of us belong to the developing world. We are pluralistic and multi-cultural societies. We are the largest democracies respectively on each of our continents and these values bind us in a unique way. Our three countries are committed to economic growth, with social equity and inclusion. We also accept the responsibilities that come with the role that is expected of us by the international community in this increasingly inter-dependent world that we live in. It is these commonalities that provide the basis for the success of our venture.
The utility that IBSA brings to the world community is evident in the leadership that our three countries have provided to the G-20 in WTO trade negotiations. While success still eludes us in the Doha Round, we can derive satisfaction from the role that we have played in facilitating coalition building on difficult trade battles.
The Joint Declaration that will be issued at the end of the Summit is an impressive document that reflects our common vision on a wide range of political and economic, regional and global issues of common interest.It is a bold and comprehensive agenda of cooperation and if implemented in earnest will propel this grouping up to a position where its voice will be heard and heard effectively in international affairs. It will also develop the kind of institutional and business linkages in important sectors of our cooperation such as energy, sustainable development, trade, transportation and science & technology that will impart new momentum and substance to our trilateral cooperation. On Nuclear Energy, I appreciate the fact that IBSA has lent its support for forward looking approaches to enhance international civilian nuclear cooperation.
We have, very correctly, decided that the benefits of our trilateral cooperation should not be limited to our three countries. The IBSA Facility for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger is a pioneering initiative for South-South cooperation. It is unique for three major developing countries to come together and establish replicable and scaleable projects in other developing countries.
The success of IBSA can demonstrate, perhaps more vividly than through any other measure, the feasibility of the South-South cooperation that goes beyond the conventional areas of training and exchange of experts.
We should expand the idea of IBSA from a project of three Governments to one involving more intensively the peoples and the civil societies of our three countries. This would require a greater emphasis on people-to-people contact, on cultural and educational exchanges and on the promotion of trade and tourism amongst our three countries.
For this vision to be converted to reality, we need to address the critical question of connectivity. The growth of trade, and of people-to-people contact, can reach its full potential only if the movement of goods and people across our three countries is furtherfacilitated. We have an MOU on Air Services, and an Agreement on Maritime Transportation has also been concluded. These agreements need to be operationalized. We also need to consider ways by which the linkages amongst our three countries can lead to India becoming a hub to Asia, Brazil an entry point to Latin America and South Africa a springboard for Africa.
In conclusion, I would like to say for all three of our countries that there is value in investing in IBSA, and that it is a vision we must pledge together to realize. Let us do what President Juscelino Kubitschek, who was responsible for the construction of this beautiful capital city of Brasilia, had said "50 years of progress in five"."
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PM´s statement at the Joint Press Conference of the IBSA leaders
September 13, 2006
Brasilia
"It is a prievilege for me to have participated in the 1st IBSA Summit.The privilege is further deepened by the fact that I did so in the august company of two of the leading statesmen of our time – President Lula of Brazil and President Mbeki of South Africa.
It was just over three years ago that IBSA was founded in this city itself. It has since then, recorded significant achievements. Reaching across geographical distance, our partnership illustrates the global village in which we live together today.
The Summit provided a useful opportunity to review the cooperation that has taken lace in the IBSA framework. We also had constructive discussions on issues of global concern. There is, I am pleased to say, a great deal of commonality in our perspectives.
The Joint Declaration that will be issued today is an impressive document that reflects our common vision on a wide range of political and economic, regional and global issues of common interest. We have all pledged to work earnestly to implement this bold and comprehensive agenda of cooperation. It is a matter of satisfaction for India that the Joint Declaration reflects the importance that the IBSA countries attach to increasing international civilian nuclear cooperation through forward looking approaches.
As IBSA evolves, it will acquire new dimensions. It would be our endeavour to see that it moves from being a project of three Governments to one that actively involves the peoples of our three countries. I am happy that a successful Business Summit was held yesterday.
I use this opportunity to thank President Lula for the gracious hospitality that he has accorded to me and my delegation. I also compliment him for taking the initiative to convene this Summit."
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