Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday expressed his interest in visiting Bangladesh in the coming months, hoping the trip would strengthen ties between the two nations.
President Lula made the announcement during a meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the FAO-organised World Food Forum (WFF) in Rome, according to a Facebook post by the Chief Adviser at 4:19 am on Tuesday (Bangladesh local time).
Both leaders served as keynote speakers at the forum and later held a bilateral meeting at the FAO headquarters, where they discussed matters of mutual interest, including social business, universal healthcare, social inclusion, and poverty alleviation.
During the meeting, the Chief Adviser formally invited President Lula to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. Lula accepted the invitation, saying he intends to make the trip by February.
“I will go to Bangladesh,” he affirmed, adding that Brazil is keen to share its experience in providing universal healthcare and to learn from Bangladesh’s pioneering work in social business and microcredit.
“That would be fantastic,” Professor Yunus responded.
The two leaders also explored cooperation in areas such as deep-sea fishing, pharmaceuticals—including the push for patent-free and affordable vaccines—climate change action ahead of COP30, and the youth-led uprising in Bangladesh in July 2024.
Professor Yunus recalled his previous engagements in Brazil, including a 2008 meeting with the then-president and his October 2023 tour of major Brazilian cities.
President Lula also invited Professor Yunus to participate in COP30, which will be hosted in an Amazonian state to highlight efforts to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
The Chief Adviser thanked him for the invitation but said he might not attend COP30 due to preparations for Bangladesh’s upcoming general election, scheduled for the first half of February.
Professor Yunus described the forthcoming election as a “real and landmark” moment for Bangladesh, stressing that it would be the first fair election in 16 years. He added that past polls under the previous autocratic regime were “fake and rigged” by the ruling party.
He also underscored the need for deeper collaboration and increased trade between Bangladesh and Brazil.
In a lighter moment, the two leaders—who share warm ties—celebrated football as a unifying global force. Professor Yunus noted the strong support for Brazilian football across Bangladesh.
“People in every village in Bangladesh support Brazil,” he said.
Also present at the meeting were Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter, SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam. Several Brazilian ministers and senior officials also attended.