Press Statement by President Lula during his State Visit to Indonesia

Asia has held a prominent place in my 2025 international agenda.

During the first semester, I visited Japan, Vietnam and China.

I received a visit from Prime Minister Modi [Narendra Modi, from India] and President Subianto [Prabowo Subianto, from Indonesia] last July.

Today, I began a mission that will take me across Indonesia and Malaysia, culminating in my participation in the ASEAN Summit.

Southeast Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world.

ASEAN is already Brazil's fifth largest trading partner.

It is an honor to return President Prabowo Subianto’s State Visit.

The Strategic Partnership that I launched during my first visit to Jakarta, in 2008, has become increasingly relevant and forward-looking.

We are great democracies, vibrant societies, and expanding economies.

We are full members of both BRICS and the G20.

Brazil is committed to deepening its dialogue and cooperation with Indonesia across a wide range of areas.

The agreements we have signed in the fields of statistics, agriculture, energy, science and technology, and trade promotion all point in this direction.

Over the past two decades, our trade has more than tripled, rising from USD 2 billion to USD 6.5 billion.

I told President Subianto that it is almost inexplicable to our societies that two such important countries such as Indonesia and Brazil — which together are home to nearly 500 million people — maintain a trade volume of only USD 6 billion.

It is insufficient, Mr. President: it is insufficient for Indonesia, it is insufficient for Brazil, and I believe that the people of Indonesia and the people of Brazil deserve that we make greater efforts to ensure that trade between our two countries grows in line with the expansion of our populations.

Therefore, we will work hard towards making Indonesia and Brazil two fundamental partners within the global economic landscape.

In 2024, Indonesia was the fifth-largest destination for Brazilian agribusiness exports.

These figures remain modest compared to the potential of our consumer markets.

Indonesia and Brazil are, respectively, the fourth and seventh most populous countries in the world, together accounting for half a billion people.

In the current context of heightened protectionism, our countries are fully capable of demonstrating to the world their ability to defend economic interests through dialogue and mutual respect.

This is the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding that we signed today on health and phytosanitary cooperation.

Since President Subianto's visit to Brasilia, it has been possible to open the local market to a range of Brazilian export products.

There is no shortage of opportunities for the trade of higher value-added products, particularly in the defense sector.

Brazil possesses a solid military-industrial base, and is willing to contribute to Indonesia’s strategic needs, in particular those of its Air Force.

In the field of energy, we discussed experiences in the sovereign management of critical minerals — which are essential to the energy transition.

Cooperation in the mining sector may advance with greater institutionalization under the Memorandum signed today by our ministers of Mines and Energy.

President Subianto and I have also decided to advance the negotiations on a MERCOSUR — Indonesia Preferential Trade Agreement by the end of Brazil’s presidency of the bloc in December.

As active Global South voices, we also discussed other relevant topics on the international agenda.

Indonesia and Brazil are both determined to assume the roles that correspond to us in an order that is undergoing profound transformation.

The developing world owes much to Indonesia.

Seventy years ago, the Bandung Conference laid the foundations for more equitable relations among countries — based on self-determination, non-interference, and non-alignment.

Indonesia and Brazil share a commitment to peace, sustainable development, and to the promotion of a fairer international order.

Our governments are united against the genocide in Gaza, and will continue to defend the two-state solution as the only viable path to peace in the Middle East.

Only a comprehensive reform of the Security Council can address its lack of representativeness and current paralysis.

We both support rules-based trade centered on the WTO.

We agree on the growing importance of BRICS as a platform to defend the development interests of the Global South.

I expressed my gratitude for President Prabowo Subianto's participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the Virtual Summit held last September.

I reaffirmed Brazil’s support for Indonesia's entry into the New Development Bank — the BRICS Bank.

President Prabowo and I agree on the urgency of acting decisively to overcome the climate crisis.

Indonesia has been a fundamental partner in this endeavor.

We are among the largest countries with tropical forests and the greatest biodiversity in the world.

We are also major producers of biofuels, which will play a key role to play in the transition to low-carbon economies.

Indonesia and Brazil will work together towards a fair energy transition and towards less-polluting, more sustainable economies — without overlooking the generation of quality jobs and the reduction of inequalities.

I thanked President Subianto's support for COP30, which will take place in a few days.

Indonesia's engagement in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility [TFFF] has also been of great importance.

We know that there can be no sustainable development without overcoming hunger and poverty.

The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, launched during Brazil’s presidency of the G20, had the support of Indonesia from the very beginning.

The school feeding policy of President Subianto's government, which deserves our recognition, is now part of the Alliance's accelerated implementation program.

I will meet President Subianto again in a few days, during the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.

Brazil’s decision to strengthen our cooperation with Indonesia and Southeast Asia could not be more accurate.

My dear President Prabowo:

I wish to say that Brazil and Indonesia will be the size we aspire them to be.

What is happening right now in politics and economics demonstrates that, increasingly, we must discuss the similarities between our two countries so that we can, more and more, expand our commercial, scientific, technological, cultural, and political relations. In this way, we will become increasingly self-reliant.

Indonesia and Brazil do not seek a second Cold War. We advocate for free trade.

Furthermore, both Indonesia and Brazil are interested in exploring the possibility of conducting trade in our respective currencies

This is something we must change. The 21st century demands the courage that was lacking in the 20th century. It calls for a transformation in the way we conduct commerce, so that we do not depend on anyone.

We support multilateralism, not unilateralism. We advocate democracy, not protectionism. We want to grow, to generate jobs — and quality employment. That is why we were elected to represent our people.

And that is why, Mr. President, I wish you all the best in the world. I am turning 80, but you can be assured that I have the same energy as when I was 30 years old — and I intend to run for a fourth term in Brazil.

I am telling you this because we will meet many more times. My current term does not end until the end of 2026. However, I am prepared to stand in future elections and work towards strengthening the relationship between Indonesia and Brazil, encouraging more Brazilian businesspeople to visit Indonesia. I want to encourage more Brazilian businesspeople to invest in Indonesia. I want to see more Indonesian businesspeople investing in Brazil. I want to see more Indonesian businesspeople purchasing from Brazil and more Brazilian businesspeople buying from Indonesia.

A fair trade relationship is one in which both countries win. It is one in which the two countries achieve a surplus — or, if there is no surplus, maintain a balanced outcome. There is another detail, Mr. President: I gave you a number 8 shirt because, when I was a soccer player — not a very good one! — my position was right midfielder, and the right midfielder traditionally wears the number 8 shirt. That is why number 8 is my lucky number, and I know it is yours as well.

So you can be confident that we are both very fortunate presidents.

So, greetings; thank you very much for the warm welcome. I will attend the celebration tonight.