DHAKA, April 8, 2024 (BSS) - Brazilin foreign minister Mauro Vieira today said the similar views of Brazil president Lula da Silva and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and their identical pursuit of socio-economic improvement set the ground to upscale Dhaka-Brasilia ties.

"Considering the similarities between President Lula's and Prime Minister Hasina's world views, policies and priorities, in particular their quest for development and social justice, conditions are set for our bilateral relations to upscale," he said.

Vieira was speaking at a seminar on "2024 G20: Priorities for Brazilian Presidency" organized by Bangladesh foreign ministry at the Foreign Service academy here.

Brazilian foreign minister arrived here yesterday on a two-day official visit and held meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and state minister for commerce ministry Ahsanul Islam Titu.

Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Vieira said "I was delighted to hear from her the high esteem she has for Brazil and for President Lula, which is reciprocal".

Mentioning that he is the first ever Brazilian Foreign Minister to visit Bangladesh, Vieira said his presence in Dhaka is a testimony to the importance that Brazil attaches to its relations with Bangladesh.

He said the ties between Dhaka and Brasilia have grown considerably in many areas, in tandem with the extraordinary economic leapfrog that Bangladesh has been enduring in recent years.

He highlighted Brazil's priority as G20 presidency in 2024 that Brasilia took over from India on December 1st, 2023.

In terms of priorities, he said, Brazil has placed the topic of inequality, in all its dimensions, at the center of the G20's agenda.

Under the motto "Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet", he said President Lula defined three general priorities - social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty, energy transitions and the promotion of sustainable development in its economic, social, and environmental dimensions; and reform of global governance institutions.

"Brazil believes that the G20 is one the forum that is particularly well placed to foster collective solutions for global challenges," he said.
 
Due to its combined share of the world's population and GDP, as well as its diverse membership, the group has a unique and influential role to play in shaping a global agenda for a more equitable and sustainable future, he observed.

To fulfill that expectation, he said, Brazil believes that the G20 must set ambitious goals and unlock the full potential of multilateral cooperation.

Vieira said Brazil believes that the G20 should explore the role of economy-wide platforms and a renewed engagement of the financial sector to achieve our common goals under the United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement.

Global challenges are interconnected and can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism, reforms and international cooperation, he said.

In that spirit, Vieira said, Brazil's G20 Presidency believes that the group should work towards a United Nations that is more effective in its purposes, while tackling main inequalities in its decision-making processes.