Brazil’s President Temer Travels to Asia for Summit

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL –In his fifth international trip after officially being named Brazil’s President, Brazilian leader, Michel Temer will travel to Asia on Friday, October 14th, to attend the 8th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Goa, India, as well as visit Japan.

In his quest to attract foreign investors to the South American country, President Temer will tell the region’s leaders and local businessman that Brazil under his administration is renewing foreign investment opportunities as well as recovering its credibility, according to government spokesperson, Alexandre Parola.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Parola said that BRICS countries will be signing several accords in economic and social areas. “In Goa, our partnership will be strengthened. Leaders will sign agreements on customs cooperation, agricultural research and environmental cooperation. Also to be signed will be a memorandum for diplomatic cooperation between the five countries,” he said.

The Brazilian spokesperson said that BRICS leaders will be holding meetings with the heads of the Bay of Bengal countries, which, in addition to India, include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

After the BRICS summit, the President will have private meetings between Brazilian and Indian officials and businessmen. According to Parola, the trip will be a chance for Brazilian officials to show that the country has ‘investment opportunities, stability and fiscal responsibility’.

According to officials, Brazil is India’s main trading partner in Latin America with trade totaling, in 2015, US$7.9 billion. After India, President Temer will visit Japan with the objective of strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries. This will be the first visit by a Brazilian president to Japan in eleven years.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the opportunities offered in Brazil by the Investment Partnership Program (PPI). Brazil is home to the world’s largest community of Japanese descendants outside Japan, while almost 180,000 Brazilians are living and working in Japan today.