MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula discusses international agenda with Indian PM Modi

“Had a good conversation on phone with President @LulaOficial,” Modi wrote on X

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed Friday during a telephone conversation the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and other matters of mutual interest, it was reported.

Lula again extended his congratulations for India's success in organizing the G20 Summit and reaffirmed his interest in cooperating with the Asian country during the Brazilian presidency of the bloc. Prime Minister Modi conveyed India's full support for the success of the Brazilian Presidency of the G20.

“Had a good conversation on phone with President @LulaOficial. We are committed to deepen our strategic partnership. Shared our concerns on the situation in West Asia. Will continue to build on the successes of India’s G20 Presidency as Brazil takes over next month,” posts PM… pic.twitter.com/dW2UyJYn2b

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 10, 2023

The Brazilian president also thanked the invitations to participate in the second virtual summit of Global South Voices (on November 17) and in the virtual summit of the G20 (on November 22), and confirmed his participation in both.

The South American leader also expressed his sorrow for the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and mentioned Brazil's efforts to bring back home some 1,445 people stranded in the area.

Lula also criticized the fragility of multilateralism as shown by the vetoing of Brazilian initiatives within the UN Security Council, a statement from the Planalto Palace in Brasilia also pointed out.

Modi suggested holding a meeting of IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa dialogue forum) foreign ministers during the next semester, as a preparatory stage for the 2024 BRICS summit.

Both leaders also expressed their interest in further strengthening relations in trade, energy transition, and technology because, in Lula's words, “Brazil and India need to have relations the magnitude of their economies and populations.”

“Had a good conversation on phone with President @LulaOficial. We are committed to deepen our strategic partnership,” Modi wrote on X.

”Shared our concerns on the situation in West Asia. Will continue to build on the successes of India's G20 Presidency as Brazil takes over next month,” he added.

Modi has become a key player in the ongoing crisis, having spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among other world leaders since the beginning of the conflict on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel from Gaza, killed more than 1,400 people, and took hostage some 240 others. Israel responded with a full-scale military deployment into the Gaza Strip.