CAIRO - 15 February 2024: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries, following their talks at the Presidential Palace in New Cairo, Egypt.
The signed agreements included a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Federal Republic of Brazil regarding cooperation in the fields of science, technology, and innovation. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Ayman Ashour, the Minister of Higher Education, and Luciana Santos, the Minister of Technology and Innovation in Brazil.
Additionally, a cooperation protocol was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the Federal Republic of Brazil for the export of Brazilian meat and its products to Egypt. The protocol was signed by the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, El-Sayed El Quseir, and the Brazilian Ambassador in Cairo, Paulino Franco de Carvalho.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his pleasure at the passage of 100 years of Egyptian-Brazilian relations, saying: "I am happy to visit Cairo coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," confirming that Egypt is the second partner of Brazil in Africa.
Lula da Silva added, in a press conference with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, that his country seeks to establish a balanced trade exchange with Egypt.
The Brazilian president continued: I proposed to President Sisi to elevate the relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
Moreover, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that his country supports Egypt's initiative for a weapon-free zone in the Middle East, saying: "We have the same initiative in South America and rely on Egypt's support in the G20 to achieve success in this meeting, especially in my two initiatives: the international alliance against hunger and poverty and the international mobilization against climate change."
Lula da Silva added in a press conference with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi: "We also want to encourage discussions about the external debt of poor countries, and despite the African Union's participation in the G20 from this year, the continent needs more representation and the inclusion of other countries."
The Brazilian president continued: "Within the framework of BRICS, we will work on reforming international governance and building peace, especially in the current situation. Therefore, BRICS represents a golden opportunity to give countries the chance to participate in the development process. There is interest on the part of Brazil in enhancing trade and investment relations within BRICS, so that the world is not tied to one currency.
Egypt officially joined the "BRICS" group starting from January 2024 along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates(UAE), Argentina, Iran, and Ethiopia.
This step aimed to transform the group into a bloc that holds control over about a third of the global economy.
With this expansion, the first since South Africa joined the group in 2010, the number of member countries will increase to 11, adding to the original five members: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, and China.
According to calculations by the World Bank, the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, and Argentina reached around $3.1 trillion in 2022. When combined with the $26 trillion GDP of the existing five countries in the group, this constitutes a significant economic force. The Bank's estimations for the global GDP stand at approximately $100 trillion.
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