President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on his visit to India at the invitation of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, met this Thursday (19) with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and other leaders. They found themselves on the edge of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summitin New Delhi, which addressed technology security, governance and global collaboration.
According to a note from Palácio do Planalto, the two leaders discussed issues on the bilateral agenda, especially cooperation in the areas of defense, science and technology and trade. In the assessment of the two presidents, trade exchange of US$10.3 billion, although a record, remains below the potential of the two economies.
The two leaders also talked about cross-border integration and joint efforts to combat drug trafficking, illegal mining and other forms of transnational crime on the border between Amapá and French Guiana.
Lula and Macron also discussed topics on the global agenda, such as peace, security and artificial intelligence. In this context, the French president invited Lula to participate in the G7 Summit, in Evian, France, scheduled for June 15th and 16th.
Mercosur
The Brazilian president also met with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, with whom he spoke about the implementation of the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.
Unlike Macron, who is openly against the agreement, Lula and Plenković expressed their expectation that the instrument could come into force as soon as possible.
“Both agreed on the strategic importance of the agreement at the current time of increased unilateralism and trade protectionism”, says the Presidency’s note.
After more than 20 years of negotiation, the agreement was signed by representatives of both sides in January this yearin Asunción, Paraguay. The agreement establishes the largest free trade zone in the world, with the gradual elimination of import tariffs for more than 90% of bilateral trade, involving industrial goods such as machinery, tools, automobiles and other products and equipment and agricultural products.
Celebrated by industrial sectors, the agreement is the subject of criticism and protests from European farmers, including the French, who fear competition from South American products, as, among other measures, it will eliminate customs duties.
Despite the formal signing between the two blocs, the internalization of the agreement needs to be done by the national congresses of each of the Mercosur countries, as well as the European Parliament. In the case of the Europeans, however, the forwarding of the agreement to analysis by the Court of Justice of the European Union This final stage could be delayed by up to two years.
President Lula greets the president of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during a bilateral meeting – Photo: Ricardo Stuckert / PR
Agenda
In New Delhi, President Lula also spoke with the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, about the economic scenarios of the two countries. They agreed on the need to increase trade and committed to developing a comprehensive cooperation agenda, including the tourism, agriculture and trade sectors.
In 2025, bilateral trade between Brazil and Sri Lanka reached US$188 million, lower than the record US$210 million reached in 2016.
President Lula invited the Sinhalese president to visit Brazil on a date to be defined.
Invitation
Lula arrived in the Indian capital this Wednesday (18), at the invitation of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and has a series of commitments on his agenda. In addition to summit on artificial intelligencehe is taking part in a business forum and will be received by Modi for a state visit, with the expected signing of several agreements.
President Lula stays in New Delhi until Saturday (21) and, from there, heads to Seoul, South Korea. Between February 22nd and 24th, the president will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and executives from large companies in the Asian country.
