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Russian, Brazilian foreign ministers to discuss BRICS, Syria and Iran

The range of topics here is determined by the number of contracts that grows from year to year
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 11 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian and Brazilian foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Antonio Patriota, will meet on Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade, innovations and interaction in the international arena.

"The agenda will include thematic review of the actions of Russian and Brazilian diplomats at the United Nations, the G-20, BRICS and the WTO; the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean in the light of integration processes,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The foreign ministers will discuss international problems such as progress in the cause of disarmament and non-proliferation, reform of world financial and credit institutions, the situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, and Iran’s nuclear program,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reports.

Bilateral cooperation will be another vital theme for discussion. The range of topics here is determined by the number of contracts that grows from year to year.

Russian companies have launched major projects in the Brazilian power sector, metallurgy and mining industry. Military and Technical Cooperation is also on the rise. A GLONASS ground tracking station has been operating in Brazil since February this year.

The Russian and Brazilian foreign ministers are expected to discuss advancement in industrial cooperation and the possibility to forge a technological alliance, the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say.

Brazil is Russia’s biggest trading partner in Latin America. The leaders of the two countries have set the task of brining reciprocal trade volumes to 10 billion dollars a year. Brazil traditionally exports foodstuffs: raw sugar, tobacco, coffee, beef, pork and poultry to Russia, while Russia exports mineral fertilizers and diesel fuel to Brazil.

"Russian-Brazilian ties in the humanitarian sphere are getting a new dimension. Preparations have started for holding Days of Russian Culture in Brazil and Days of Brazilian Culture in Russia in 2014,” the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.

The Ministry added that the two countries were developing sport cooperation and exchanging experience in organization of major sport events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi in 2014 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 as well as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.