New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday assured Brazil of India's support in its G20 Presidency at the 9th India-Brazil Joint Commission Meeting in Delhi.

Welcoming the delegation, Jaishankar appreciated unique initiatives centered on the theme of building a 'just world' and a 'sustainable planet'.

"I look forward today to a very productive meeting of the joint commission. Let me also begin by congratulating Brazil for conducting the G20 meeting successfully and also on the first ministerial consensus document realized during the G20 development Working Group ministerial meeting. I'd like to reiterate India's full support to the Brazilian G20 Presidency and also recall that we got your fullest support during our own Presidency. We appreciate various unique initiatives centered on the theme of building a just world and a sustainable planet," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar also said that the bilateral trade between India and Brazil has spiked last year.

"We have a substantial bilateral trade basket. It has by and large gone up in the last year. We've had some challenges- it's something I look forward to discussing with you. We also have a very important energy cooperation between our two countries and we have particularly valued the biofuels cooperation that India and Brazil have established," he said.

Jaishankar said that he was pleased to see increased appreciation of Indian culture in Brazil.

"The people-to-people relations... are a very big source of support for our relationship. We're very pleased to see greater appreciation of Indian culture, performing arts, philosophy in Brazil, and celebrations relating to India in various platforms," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said that the India-Brazil partnership, that was established in 2006, has deepened over the years.

"Our strategic partnership, which was established in 2006, has deepened and diversified over the years. It now spans a very wide range of domains, from defence, space and security, including cyber to trade and investment, oil and natural gas, biofuels, agriculture, animal husbandry, food processing, health and medicine, traditional medicine, science, technology, culture and people-to-people relations," he said.
Jaishankar said that he looked forward to discussing the multilateral cooperation in G20, among other things.

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