Brazilian ambassador to Egypt extols potential for partnerships during Lula's visit

A country that maintains its economic and social stability in a region where conflict is almost permanent. A nation that is among the first and second greater destinations of Brazilian exports to Africa. A government that played a key role in allowing Brazil to repatriate 177 Brazilian-Palestinians who were in the Gaza Strip. And a fertile ground for new partnerships, especially in the agricultural sector.

Egypt, like Brazil, has the role of bringing balance to the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts in the region, especially now, with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It is worth noting that Egypt had a key role in supporting the evacuation of Brazilian citizens who were in the Gaza Strip"

Paulino Franco de Carvalho Neto, Brazilian Ambassador to Cairo

This is how Ambassador Paulino Franco de Carvalho Neto defined Egypt, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has a series of official agendas this Thursday, 15 February. "This visit falls within a significant milestone, considering it marks 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries", recalled the Brazilian Ambassador to Cairo.

» High-resolution images (Flickr)

The agenda for President Lula's official State visit includes a scheduled meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, signings of bilateral acts, an official lunch, and a joint press conference. President Lula will also visit the seat of the League of Arab States, in Cairo.

In 2023, bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$ 2.8 billion (from which US$ 489 million were Egyptian products imported by Brazil, and US$ 1.83 billion were Brazilian exported products). In Africa, Brazil's trade ties with Egypt ranked second, following Algeria, amounting to US$ 4.2 billion. The African country also joined the BRICS in 2024 and will take part in the G20 by invitation of the Brazilian government, which will hold the bloc’s presidency until December.

"There is much interest here in Egypt in replicating, according to the local context and possibilities, the successful experience we had with Embrapa 40 years ago, when we managed to gradually turn Brazilian agriculture into a potency”, stated the Brazilian Ambassador.

Trade between the two nations tends to increase in the upcoming years, after the Egyptian market was opened to various Brazilian products in 2023, including fish and derived products, chicken meat, cotton, bananas, as well as gelatine and collagen. The Egyptian government is expected to soon approve new slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in Brazil to export bovine meat. The opening of a new flight route between the two countries, connecting São Paulo to Cairo, will also be discussed.

MODERATION - The Ambassador also emphasized Egypt’s strategic role in the geopolitical context, due to its active diplomacy and to its location in a region where conflicts are almost permanent. “Egypt, like Brazil, has the role of bringing balance to the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts in the region, especially now, with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It is worth noting that Egypt had a key role in supporting the evacuation of Brazilian citizens who were in the Gaza Strip. Without Egypt, we would not have been able to act as we did, with success,” he explained.