Lula calls for permanent UN Security Council seats for Brazil, India
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva advocated a greater role for Brazil and India in global governance and once again called for the two countries to become permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
“What matters is that Brazil and India have extraordinary potential. That’s why we are demanding the right to participate in the UN Security Council. We can no longer see the UN weakened, not being taken into account. And the permanent members of the council, who should strive for peace, are the ones who most encourage war,” President Lula declared.
On Tuesday (Jul. 8) in Brasília, he received the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. The meeting took place at the Alvorada presidential residence, marking the state visit of the leader of the world’s most populous country (1.4 billion inhabitants). Modi came to the Brazilian capital after attending the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in recent days.
The head of the Indian government, on his part, commented on the rapprochement between the two nations as a factor for greater stability on the international stage.
“The India–Brazil partnership is a vital pillar of stability and balance. We believe that all these disputes should be resolved through dialogue and democracy. Our approach to the war against terrorism is aligned, zero tolerance and zero double standards,” he noted.
President Lula pointed out that strengthening joint initiatives is a key step in the bilateral relationship. “Two superlative countries like India and Brazil cannot remain distant. The solidity of our democracies, the diversity of our cultures, and the strength of our economies attract us,” he said.
Bilateral trade
The president also defended the expansion of the Mercosur–India Agreement for reducing trade barriers, and highlighted the potential for exchange between the two economies. “Today, only 14 percent of Brazilian exports to India are covered by the agreement. We have a long way to go,” he said, who mentioned the need to deepen contacts between the two nations in tourism, business, and cultural exchange.
India is currently Brazil’s tenth largest trading partner. In 2024, bilateral trade totaled $12 billion.
Narendra Modi said it was possible to increase trade flows to a much higher level. “We set the goal of using several million dollars over the next five years. And we estimate to reach $20 billion in our commercial cooperation. Together, we will work to expand the India and Mercosur reference agreement,” he said.
Agreements
Among the acts signed by the two leaders are a cooperation deal against terrorism and transnational organized crime, a memorandum of understanding on renewable energy with a focus on energy transmission, and a memorandum for sharing large-scale solutions in digital transformation.
Criticism of Trump
At the end of his statement to the press, President Lula again criticized US President Donald Trump’s reaction, with threats of tariffs against BRICS countries.
“We won’t accept any complaints against the BRICS meeting. We didn’t agree when, yesterday [Jul. 7], the US president insinuated that he was going to tax the countries that negotiate with the BRICS.”
