On an official visit to Brasilia, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Manlio Di Stefano, had a long working meeting with Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Carlos Alberto Franco França. “Brazil, a great democracy of Latin America and a country we are tied to through very close historical bonds, is our main economic partner in the region”, the Undersecretary said, speaking on the sidelines of the meeting. He added that Brazil and Italy share common roots and “solid economic relations, with trade growing strongly”. Furthermore, bilateral cooperation is paramount “for addressing the major global issues, such as climate change and the ecological transition”.
During the talks, which focused on the current state and on the outlook of the commercial and economic partnership, Undersecretary Di Stefano told Minister França that Italy supports Brazil’s OECD accession process and that our country is very interested in swiftly approving the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, whose overall combined population is roughly 780 million people, following the accomplishment of a Protocol that entails concrete extra efforts with reference to the environment and supports sustainable development.
Undersecretary Di Stefano and Minister França then talked about the war in Ukraine, with Brazil “being a firm supporter and promoter of peace and condemning the use of violence” while calling for “an immediate cessation of hostilities”.
Finally, Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Undersecretary Di Stefano decided to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the aerospace industry and in investments. In the latter sector, Italian enterprises, which fly the flag of our excellence in the world, are “already particularly active in Brazil”, the Undersecretary concluded.