São Paulo – Brazil’s foreign affairs minister Mauro Vieira met Tuesday (11) with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, during the BRICS organization’s meeting. According to information from Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, they discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing talks to bring about an end to the conflict in the region.
Vieira and Farhan addressed the evolving economic relations between Brazil and Saudi Arabia. In 2023, the trade exchange between the two countries added up to USD 6.7 billion. Brazil exported USD 3.2 billion, especially in chicken meat and sugar, and imported USD 3.5 billion, mostly in oil.
The two countries have shared investments and mutual activities. Later this week, Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative Fund (FII) will hold a conference in Rio de Janeiro on investment, green transition, technology and innovation.
Saudi Arabia made into BRICS this year
The event is held on the sidelines of the BRICS Minister Meeting held in Russia, which has chaired the group since January. First founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China, BRICS later comprised South Africa, in 2010. Earlier this year, the BRICS’s members welcomed Arab countries Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates into the group, as well as non-Arab Iran and Ethiopia. Over the course of the event, Vieira also had sideline meetings with representatives from China, Thailand, and the event’s host, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
The event ended on Tuesday. In his final speech, Vieira welcomed the new partners into the BRICS. He also invited the countries represented in the Russia’s event to participate in the open foreign minister meeting of the G20, a forum composed of the world’s largest economies in September in New York. Brazil chairs the G20 and will host the group’s summit in October in Rio de Janeiro.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
