Today, during his weekly radio program, "Breakfast with the President," Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva affirmed that he intends to sign a space agreement with Russia.
"The Russians possess technology. They have outstanding experience in the space field. Brazil is getting started in Alcântara, and we intend to establish partnerships to avail ourselves of the Russians’ technological expertise," he said.
Lula arrives today in Moscow, the last stop on his official European visit, which also included Portugal, Spain, and Italy. This is the President’s first trip to Russia.
Lula emphasized the importance of creating a partnership to approximate the economies of the two countries. "We intend to present a little of what Brazil is, Brazil’s potential, and the changes we made in the laws to be able to establish partnerships, and I hope that we obtain a stronger partnership between Russia and Brazil," he declared.
Russia is one of the biggest importers of Brazilian meat, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Nevertheless, since last Monday, October 10, when an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease was detected in the municipality of Eldorado, Mato Grosso do Sul, Russia has barred the purchase of products and derivatives of species susceptible to the disease, such as cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs.
A Brazilian commission – which will be joined by the Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues – is in Moscow to negotiate an end to the partial meat embargo.
President Lula and his entourage will be guests in the Kremlin. Lula is scheduled to have a private encounter tomorrow, October 18, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a meeting with ministers and other government officials from both countries.
Agência Brasil
