SEOUL, February 23 (AJP) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was welcomed with a warm embrace by President Lee Jae Myung on Monday, marking his return to South Korea for a state visit — his first in 21 years and the first by a foreign leader since the presidential office returned to Cheong Wa Dae.
Lee greeted Lula in the main garden of the presidential compound with open arms as the Brazilian leader stepped out of his vehicle, before the two shared a brief embrace and proceeded to an official welcome ceremony featuring traditional honor guards and a children’s welcoming group.
The visit includes bilateral talks, a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony, a joint press announcement, and a state dinner at the Yeongbingwan guest house, with discussions set to focus on deepening cooperation in high-value and emerging industries.
The summit agenda covers trade, investment, climate change, energy, defense, science and technology, agriculture and cultural exchanges.
Instead of focusing solely on traditional commerce, the talks will prioritize what Brazilian Ambassador to South Korea Marcia Donner Abreu recently described as "productive integration" during an interview with AJP on Feb. 19.
The approach is designed to move bilateral ties beyond simple buying and selling, focusing instead on joint value creation through linked supply chains and investments. he two countries plan to collaborate on local downstream processing and refining, moving beyond trade beyond raw materials.
The governments also aim to build joint production lines for the C-390 transport aircraft and deepen partnerships in high-growth industries such as biopharmaceuticals, digital technologies and K-beauty.
The talks are supported by a personal rapport between the two leaders, who both experienced poverty and sustained work-related injuries as young factory workers. Lee and Lula previously bonded over their shared backgrounds during the Group of Seven summit in Canada last June and the G20 meeting in South Africa in November.
Lula will conclude his state visit to South Korea on Feb. 24.
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