President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) arrived in Egypt on Wednesday morning, where he will attend his first international event in 2024. He will have a meeting with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi, on Thursday (15).
According to Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit will discuss multilateral topics, such as climate change, reform of international organizations and the Israel-Palestine war.
Topics of mutual interest are also on the agenda. The two heads of state will talk about trade, investments, technical cooperation, educational cooperation and defense cooperation. There are expectations of bilateral agreements.
In 2024, Brazil and Egypt will celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations. The Arab country is Brazil's second-largest trading partner in Africa. In the past, bilateral trading between the two nations reached US$ 2,8 billion.
This trade is set to increase, with the Egyptian market opening up to various Brazilian products, such as fish and fish products, poultry, cotton, bananas, gelatine and collagen. An air route between the two countries, from São Paulo to Cairo, is being discussed.
Also in 2023, the African country was crucial to repatriating Brazilian families stuck in the Gaza Strip. The talks allowed 115 people to return to Brazil.
After the visit to Egypt, Lula will head to Ethiopia, where he has bilateral meetings scheduled. Lula will attend – as a guest – the 37th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which represents 55 African countries as members.
