The meeting participants discussed current issues of bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural, and humanitarian areas. Particular attention was paid to advancing joint projects in energy, industry, agriculture, and other sectors.
Eighth meeting of Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Eighth meeting of Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky (right) and Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services of Brazil Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk (left), Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin, and Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov
Eighth meeting of Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Eighth meeting of Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky (right)
Signing a Joint Statement following the eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Signing a Joint Statement following the eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Signing a Joint Statement following the eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Signing a Joint Statement following the eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
Eighth meeting of Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation
The Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation (HLC), co-chaired by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and the Vice President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, was established in line with the agreement reached by the Presidents of Russia and Brazil during their meeting at the 50th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in 1995, with the aim of comprehensively advancing bilateral relations. A joint statement formalising the establishment of the HLC was signed on 21 November 1997, during Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov’a official visit to Brazil.
The HLC is comprised of the Intergovernmental Russian-Brazilian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation (IGC), which comprises working groups on trade, economic, and industrial cooperation; scientific, technical, and educational cooperation; interbank and financial cooperation; energy cooperation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy; cooperation in the peaceful use of outer space; military-technical cooperation; customs cooperation; and cooperation in culture and sports, as well as an agricultural committee, and the Political Affairs Commission.
The Russian side of the IGC is chaired by Maxim Reshetnikov, Russian Minister of Economic Development, while the Brazilian side is chaired by Maria Laura da Rocha, Brazilian Secretary General of Foreign Affairs. The 12th meeting of the IGC took place in Moscow in February 2024.
The Political Affairs Commission, an integral part of the HLC, is chaired, in accordance with established practice, by the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Russia and Brazil responsible for bilateral relations (Sergei Ryabkov on the Russian side and Susan Kleebank on the Brazilian side). The most recent meeting between the Commission’s co-chairs took place in Brasilia on 27 February 2025.
There are challenges, of course, and we must pursue more balanced growth, making greater use of our shared values. The agenda of our Commission reflects clear priorities: international cooperation, the strengthening of agribusiness, the energy sector, science, technology, innovation, infrastructure and logistics, as well as sustainable development. In all these areas, we are seeking ways to expand our capabilities, our relations and cooperation between our respective organisations.
This eighth meeting of the Commission sets clear benchmarks for intergovernmental cooperation between Brazil and Russia in the economic, commercial, scientific and technological spheres. The Commission serves as the operational arm of this mechanism.
The subcommissions that form part of the Commission are institutional bodies that translate political agreements into concrete outcomes. We expect that, through our decisions, these subcommissions will move forward and work to expand and diversify bilateral trade, as well as production, cooperation and the promotion of partnerships capable of ensuring sustainable development and mutual benefit for our economies.
We can also make further progress in developing cultural and educational exchanges by combining our efforts to expand opportunities in education and culture.
The Government of Brazil has embarked on a long-term policy of neo-industrialisation based on innovation and sustainable development. We want production to become greener, more digital and more fully integrated into the global economic landscape.
We are keenly interested in expanding Russian investment in Brazil, particularly in the chemical industry, fertilisers, energy, industrial equipment and infrastructure. There are also ample opportunities for expanding the presence of Brazilian companies in the Russian market, for example in the manufacture of equipment and machinery, processed food products, technology, agriculture and a range of industrial solutions.
To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen institutional and organisational channels, remove logistical barriers and expand technical dialogue between our agencies and ministries. The high-level Commission provides precisely these opportunities for coordinated action and long-term planning.
The decisions we take here should guide the work of the Intergovernmental Commission and its subcommissions, focusing on concrete results and sustainable development.
I hereby declare the 8th Meeting of the High-Level Commission on Cooperation between Brazil and Russia open. I am confident that our work will lead to tangible and long-term results.
Thank you very much.
Excerpts from the transcript:
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services of Brazil Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho
Geraldo Alckmin (retranslated): It’s a great honour for me to welcome Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky, Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Transport Andrei Nikitin, Minister of Economic Development and Chairman of the Russian-Brazilian Intergovernmental Commission Maxim Reshetnikov, and Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov. I am honoured to welcome the Russian delegation.
Taking part in our meeting are Secretary General of Foreign Affairs Maria Laura, Ambassador to Russia Sérgio Rodrigues, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, Executive Secretary for the Ministry of Culture Márcio Tavares, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Luciana Santos, Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet Gen. Marcos Antonio Amaro, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Airports Tomé Franca, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Marcio Elias Rosa, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming Fernanda Machiaveli, President of the Brazilian Space Agency Marco Antonio Chamon, Director-President of the National Health Surveillance Agency Leandro Pinheiro Safatle, Chairman of the Brazil-Russia Business Council Pavel Cardoso, and the acting secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Friends, colleagues,
I am happy to be present here and to co-chair the 8th meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation.
Our commission is the upper-level mechanism of coordinating intergovernmental relations between our countries. Its operation reflects the stable and close strategic relations between Brazil and Russia, as well as our partnership that is clear, strong, well-structured and does not depend on other factors. Brazil and Russia are large economies and industries. Both countries have vital strategic natural resources, technological capabilities and domestic markets, and this combination offers practical opportunities for expanding and diversifying our economic and commercial cooperation and further improving its quality.
Our interaction is extremely important, but we are not yet making full use of our capabilities. Our bilateral trade reached $11 billion in 2025. It is a telling yet modest figure, considering the technological, production and logistics capabilities of Brazil and Russia.
Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Vice-President, colleagues, friends,
Eighth meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation. Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky (right) and Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova
It is a pleasure to welcome you, Mr Geraldo Alckmin, and all the participants of this meeting. First and foremost, I would like to express our gratitude to our Brazilian friends for the warm reception extended to the Russian delegation.
Our visit to Brazil is taking place pursuant to instructions from President of Russia Vladimir Putin. He has emphasised that Russia and Brazil, as founding members of BRICS, consistently share a common vision regarding the establishment of a truly equitable multipolar world order. Collaboration between Russia and Brazil is progressing steadily, enriched by new mutually beneficial projects across diverse sectors.
We are actively developing trade and economic cooperation.
Brazil remains Russia’s principal foreign economic partner in Latin America, accounting for approximately half of Russia’s total trade turnover with the region. Moreover, Brazil holds a dominant position in the Russian market as a key supplier of food products, particularly meat and coffee.
Russia meets nearly a quarter of Brazil’s demand for mineral fertiliser imports.
This constructive cooperation enables us to jointly make a significant contribution to ensuring food security.
The structural transformations underway in the global economy, the rapid spread of advanced technologies, and the processes of digitalisation and energy transition undoubtedly offer additional opportunities for expanding Russian-Brazilian collaboration.
Our heads of state have put forward the idea of a technological alliance to accelerate the launch of long-term joint projects in knowledge-intensive industries. Significant progress has already been made toward this goal. At the same time, Russian-Brazilian relations possess immense untapped potential. I fully endorse your statement that there remains substantial room for growth in our bilateral trade volume.
Russia is prepared to share its expertise in such promising fields as peaceful nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, digital public services, and automated solutions across various industries.
The introduction of cutting-edge Russian pharmaceuticals to the Brazilian market will further enhance medical care for the public.
To successfully achieve our shared objectives, we should expand mutual payments in national currencies, foster direct inter-bank cooperation, and, of course, more actively utilise independent payment and settlement infrastructure. We must also develop modern transport corridors and establish new production and logistics chains. This is the key to our joint progress.
Cultural and humanitarian ties are undoubtedly of pivotal importance in strengthening mutual understanding between our peoples. We are united by common history. Russia remembers and values Brazil’s direct participation in the Second World War on the side of the Allied powers.
We hold deep respect for each other’s culture and traditions. For over a quarter of a century, the world’s only overseas school of the Bolshoi Theatre has operated in Joinville, Brazil. This unique project trains classical ballet performers and has launched the careers of many talented dancers who have achieved global acclaim.
Brazilian artists take part in major cultural events across Russia, and our countries hold regular exchanges of film festivals.
I am confident that such joint initiatives should be further developed – as our citizens have a genuine and profound interest in them.
Colleagues,
Relations between the Russian Federation and Brazil are progressing within the framework of a strategic partnership. The mutual commitment to further strengthening this partnership was reaffirmed during the meeting of our Presidents last May in Moscow – held as part of the commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Together, we advocate for the establishment of a truly polycentric world order, founded on the principles of respect for sovereignty and the right of every nation to determine its own destiny. Russian-Brazilian cooperation is intended to reinforce global stability, particularly in light of our traditionally close coordination on key multilateral platforms – primarily within BRICS and the United Nations Organisation.
Regarding our bilateral agenda, it is imperative to focus on the practical execution of new joint initiatives and projects. This, I am certain, should be the primary focus of the Russian-Brazilian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. For those who may not yet be aware, the Russian side of the commission is chaired by Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.
I strongly believe that working together, we will continue to successfully build up our cooperative ties for the prosperity of our nations and for improving the living standards of our people.
Following the 8th meeting of the Russian-Brazilian High-Level Commission on Cooperation, a Joint Statement was signed.
More to be posted soon…
