New Delhi [India], October 15 (ANI): Brazilian Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Geraldo Alckmin, accompanied by his wife Maria Lucia Alckmin, will visit India from October 15 to 17, as per an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

During the visit, Vice President Alckmin will arrive in New Delhi on October 15 and meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh later in the day.

On October 16, he will call on Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and hold separate meetings with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the statement said.

The visit will conclude on October 17 with a meeting between Vice President Alckmin and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the MEA added.

The visit comes close on the heels of the sixth India-Brazil Strategic Dialogue, held in New Delhi on October 3, where senior officials from both sides reviewed cooperation in key areas such as defence and security, energy, rare earths, critical minerals, health, and pharmaceuticals. Delegations were led by India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Brazil's Ambassador Celso Luis Nunes Amorim, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Discussions during the dialogue also covered collaboration in multilateral platforms such as BRICS, IBSA, and the upcoming COP-30 climate conference, which Brazil will host in November. The MEA statement noted, 'Both sides agreed to carry forward the work to implement the vision laid down by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.'

Trade and economic relations are expected to be a major focus of the Vice President's visit. Both India and Brazil are currently facing higher US tariffs, prompting efforts to strengthen bilateral trade and reduce dependence on external markets. Brazilian President Lula has been a strong advocate of dedollarizing global trade, a stance that India has consistently opposed, highlighting a key area of ongoing dialogue between the two countries.

Economic engagement between India and Brazil has grown steadily. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to Brazil in July, the two leaders set a goal to raise bilateral trade to USD 20 billion within five years. In FY 2024-25, merchandise trade between the two nations reached USD 12.19 billion, making Brazil India's largest trading partner in Latin America and the Caribbean, as per a press release from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Alckmin's visit will also serve to review outcomes from the seventh meeting of the India-Brazil Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM), held in Delhi on October 7. The meeting was co-chaired by Rajesh Agrawal, Commerce Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, and Tatiana Lacerda Prazeres, Secretary of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Brazil, according to a press statement.

At the TMM meeting, both sides held detailed discussions on trade and investment relations, market access, the expansion of the India-MERCOSUR PTA, and cooperation across several key sectors including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, chemicals and petrochemicals, MSME, banking and finance, and internal trade. Issues related to visa facilitation, multilateral coordination, and the promotion of industries were also discussed.

Vice President Alckmin's visit is expected to further deepen the growing India-Brazil partnership and lay the groundwork for President Lula's state visit to India next year, continuing the implementation of the roadmap set by Prime Minister Modi and President Lula during their July summit. (ANI)