Russian President Vladimir Putin began his official visit to Brazil in the National Congress, where he was received by the president of the Congress, Senator José Sarney.
Putin said that he is satisfied with the relations between the Russian and Brazilian parliaments. “I am pleased to note that Russia and Brazil are speaking the same political idiom,” he affirmed.
Sarney emphasized that Russia’s relations with Brazil are strategic, since the only other countries with which Russia maintains similar relations are China, Ukrania, and France.
“This year we expect to surpass US$ 2 billion, but we desire our relations to go beyond the economy and subsist on political and cultural terrains, since both countries are also concerned about the question of social exclusion,” Sarney observed.
The President of the Senate expressed his gratitude to the Russians for their backing Brazil’s quest to win a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Putin, the first Russian President to visit Brazil, will remain in the country until tomorrow, November 23. His schedule today includes meetings with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
