President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived this Wednesday (18) in New Delhi, the capital of India, for a visit at the invitation of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Lula’s first commitment tomorrow (19) will be to participate in the summit on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world.
The event began on Monday (16) and Lula is expected to speak during the high-level plenary, alongside other heads of state and major executives in the sector. The event will continue the so-called “Bletchley process”, a series of intergovernmental meetings on security, governance and global collaboration in AI.
Issues related to sources of resources for the democratization of technology, as well as its use for social empowerment, innovation and social development, will also be discussed. This will be the first time that a Brazilian president will attend a high-level global event on the topic.
On Friday (20), the Brazilian government is organizing a parallel event called AI for the good of all, which will address Brazilian perspectives for the future of artificial intelligence. The meeting will be attended by State ministers – representing the portfolios of Science, Technology and Information, Management and Innovation in Public Services, Education, Health and Communications.
This is Lula’s second trip to India in the current term and in return for the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Brazil, in July 2025 during the BRICS Summit.
“The agenda represents new opportunities for bilateral cooperation, especially in economic, tourism, agricultural, energy and sustainable terms”, highlighted the Presidency, in a statement.
Bilateral agenda
Brazil and India maintain strategic partnership since 2006 and, during the visit, partnerships on rare earths and critical minerals should be established. The signing of the Brazil-India declaration on digital partnership for the future is also planned.
The visit will be an opportunity to politically reinforce negotiations to expand the Mercosur-India trade agreement, in addition to making official the new validity period for business and tourism visas, from five to ten years, between the countries.
Advances are also expected in collaborations between Embraer and India’s Adani Defense & Aerospace, one of the leading companies in the Indian aerospace sector.
In 2025, India was Brazil’s fifth largest trading partner, with a trade flow of US$15.2 billion. Currently, India is the 10th destination for Brazil’s exports. Among the most exported products are crude petroleum oils, sugars and molasses, vegetable fats and oils, and iron ore.
According to the government, relations between Brazil and India are going through a period of growth, supported by economic and technological complementarities.
One of the agreements signed between Brazil and India – during Prime Minister Modi’s visit last year – was the set of bilateral relations structures with five priority pillars for the next ten years. They are: defense and security; food and nutritional security; energy transition and climate change; digital transformation and emerging technologies; and industrial partnerships.
India is also a pharmaceutical and health technology power and agreements must be signed in the sector to attract investments, access to new medicines and research by Brazil.
Lula and Narendra Modi have coincident positions on the international agenda and must sign a document on topics such as challenges to multilateralism and international trade; changes to the United Nations Security Council; and the situation in Gaza.
Lula will also participate in the inauguration of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) office in India. The institution is organizing a business forum that already has the participation of more than 300 Brazilian businesspeople, from sectors such as agriculture, health, technology, minerals, food and pharmaceuticals.
South Korea
Lula stays in New Delhi until Saturday (21) and, from there, heads to Seoul, South Korea. Between February 22 and 24, President Lula will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and executives from large companies in the Asian country. A business forum is also planned with around 230 Brazilian businesspeople.
The Brazilian government intends, with the trip, to expand trade between the two countries and, to this end, the 2026-2029 Triennial Action Plan must be signed, which aims to raise the level of the relationship between the countries to a strategic partnership. The actions should boost business in areas such as agriculture, agrarian development, aviation, commerce, health, financial cooperation, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, science and technology.
Bilateral Brazil-South Korea trade reached US$10.8 billion in 2025. The country ranks 13th as a destination for Brazilian exports and among the main items sold are crude petroleum oil, iron ore, soybean meal, alcohol, and unroasted coffee.
