"Lots of excitement for PM Modi's visit": Indian Ambassador to Brazil Suresh Reddy

By Sahil Pandey
Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], November 17 : Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brazil for the G20 summit, Indian Ambassador to Brazil Suresh Reddy highlighted the widespread excitement surrounding the visit, largely attributed to India's successful G20 presidency last year.
Speaking to ANI about PM Modi's upcoming visit, Reddy emphasized India's reputation as a consensus builder, capable of bringing conflicting parties to the negotiating table.
"This is a very important visit. This is going to be the third visit of the Prime Minister. There is a lot of excitement and this excitement is also because of the successful presidency by India last year. We truly showcased our leadership and the successful issuance of the New Delhi Declaration. It reflected the stature of India and it reflected the fact that India is today a country with whom every country wants to be a partner. It reflects the fact that India is today recognised as a consensus maker and that it can bring the conflicting parties to the same table and agree on a similar language," Reddy said.
Commenting on the bilateral meeting between Brazilian President Lula da Silva and PM Modi, Reddy remarked, "That's a very important bilateral meeting. The strategic partnership between India and Brazil was initiated under President Lula's time and now under the Prime Minister's guidance, this has received a very big boost."
Discussing India-Brazil bilateral relations, Reddy described the partnership as dynamic and noted a significant rise in trade and exchanges between the two nations.
"Today we have a very dynamic relationship and if you visualise that in the last year, we had almost 75 delegations going up and down I think that reflects the strength and depth of the relations because this is a very wide set of delegations which have visited. Our trade is rapidly increasing. We have reached 16 billion dollars and it is hovering around 14 billion dollars which is a good number and it is only going to increase more and it's a very diversified trade. On the whole, I would say that this is one of those very dynamic, forward-looking and futuristic partnerships which is going to be critical for India and also for Brazil," Reddy said.
On potential areas of collaboration, Reddy pointed to agriculture, highlighting that both nations are global powerhouses in the sector. He also mentioned joint efforts in building digital payment infrastructure.
"In terms of manufacturing, I would say encompassing both defence and multiple sectors. Brazil is a large economy. So naturally, with a high per capita income, that makes a great opportunity, economic opportunity for companies," Reddy concluded.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday departed for his five-day visit to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana.
He will be heading to Brazil for the 19th G20 Summit, scheduled to take place from November 18 to 19. As a Troika member, India will play a significant role in shaping the agenda, building on the momentum from its own G20 presidency. Brazil is expected to maintain the focus on Global South priorities, ensuring continuity and progress on key issues.