Brazilian Ambassador to Pakistan, Olyntho Vieira, on Thursday said that Brazil and Pakistan were collaborating to expand trade volume between the two nations.
In an interview with APP, he stressed the need for expanding businesses from both the countries to look more thoroughly into the prospect of investments, joint ventures or partnerships in sectors like textiles and meat processing.
The envoy said that Brazil and Pakistan were regional giants with similar populations, common positions in many issues of the international agenda and sharing challenges such as poverty and the effects of climate change, which the two countries could fight jointly.
He mentioned these elements as the basis for the amicable and fruitful 74-year-long diplomatic relationship between both the countries, which resulted in warm and friendly relations.
Brazil was the first nation in South America to recognize Pakistan, in 1948, and to establish an Embassy in Pakistan’s former capital Karachi, 70 years ago. Since that time, interactions between the corresponding governments and civil groups have intensified and increased in frequency.
The ambassador there was much potential existed which should be harnessed between the the two countries.
He claimed that Brazil and Pakistan’s cooperation in the sphere of defence had been one of the most promising areas, with constant exchange of high-level visits and personnel for military courses.
The ambassador said in response to a query regarding trade between Brazil and Pakistan said it had been on an upward trajectory since 2018, uninterrupted even in pandemic times.
After reaching US$ 1 billion in 2020, he continued, “bilateral trade reached, according to our [Brazilian] numbers, US$ 1.3 billion at the end of 2021, up further 24.9% from the previous year.”
“Pakistan is already one of the top 40 export markets for Brazil and one of the top 6 markets for Brazilian soybeans, which are known worldwide for their quality and high sanitary standards” he remarked.
Cotton is Brazil’s second-most important export to Pakistan which used in the textile industry, he added. —APP
