São Paulo – The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met on Saturday afternoon (5) at Fort Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, amid meetings of the BRICS summit, which is being chaired by Brazil and held on Sunday (6) and Monday (7). According to information from Brazil’s presidency, they discussed topics such as investments and the fight against global warming.
Al Nahyan came to Brazil to represent the United Arab Emirates at the summit and has already returned to the UAE. At the meeting, Lula said Brazil seeks to attract foreign investment and has opportunities in sectors such as mining, petrochemicals, satellite communications, and renewable energy.
Brazil is the rotating president of BRICS, a group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join the group. The summit concludes this Monday (7) in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is also the pro tempore president of Mercosur, a customs union that also includes Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. The bloc is negotiating a free trade agreement with the UAE. This partnership was also a topic of the meeting, as Lula emphasized that Brazil will strive to finalize the negotiations by the end of this year.
On the meeting agenda, Lula and Al Nahyan agreed on the need to achieve greater ambition in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Brazil presented the Crown Prince with details of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF). The fund is expected to be launched at the U.N. climate summit COP30 and aims to compensate for the ecosystem services provided by tropical forests. Brazil will host COP30 in November.
During the conversation, the representatives of the two countries also discussed the situation in the Middle East and paths to peace. They reiterated their support for multilateralism. Also attending the meeting were the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and the Presidential Advisor for International Affairs, Celso Amorim.
According to the Emirati state news agency WAM, Al Nahyan was accompanied by a delegation including Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Office of the Crown Prince; Maryam Eid AlMheiri, Chairperson of the Abu Dhabi Media Office and Advisor of Strategic Relations at the Crown Prince Court; Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic and Trade Affairs; and Saleh Ahmad Salem Alsuwaidi, Ambassador of the UAE to Brazil.
Read more:
Lula: Emerging nations must protect global trade
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
