PM Modi congratulates Lula da Silva as he begins his third innings as Brazil's president

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Brazil’s new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as he assumed the office of the President for the third time. On January 1, Lula was sworn in as the President of Brazil after he won an intense Brazilian Presidential election which was held in 2022. On January 2, PM Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the new President and expressed his intentions to strengthen the ties between the two nations. 

The Prime Minister tweeted, “Hearty congratulations to @LulaOficial on assuming office as the President of Brazil. I wish him a successful third term and look forward to working with him to strengthen India - Brazil Strategic Partnership.'' The two countries have maintained a very close and multifaceted relationship with each other for a very long time. The Brazilian president himself has a close connection with India. In 2012, he was conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace Disarmament and Development by the then Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. 

Lula da Silva pledged to ‘rebuild’ the country in his first speech

On January 1, Lula gave out his first speech as he commenced his third tenure as the President of Brazil. In his speech, the new Brazilian President vowed to “rebuild” a country in “terrible ruins”. According to the BBC, Lula also criticised his predecessor as Bolsonaro went to the US on Friday to avoid the handover ceremony. Lula’s supporters came in massive numbers as both the President and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin thanked the crowd for their support. 

It was the year 1948 when diplomatic relations between India and Brazil were first established. In 2011, India also opened its first cultural centre in Latin America in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The country has been part of the BRICS group of countries, which also comprises Russia and China, and has managed to hold strong bilateral ties for a very long time. Hence, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for India-Brazil relations as Lula assumes presidency for the third time.