New Delhi, Feb 21 : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on Saturday.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly welcomed the Brazilian President upon his arrival.

Later in the day, PM Modi and the Brazilian President will hold a bilateral meeting, discussing ways to further strengthen the partnership between the two Global South nations.

"Both leaders would be reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations. The Prime Minister is scheduled to host a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary. The two leaders would also be exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral fora, reformed multilateralism, global governance and issues concerning the Global South," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had stated earlier.

During the February 18-22 State Visit, President Lula participated in the 2nd AI Impact Summit.

President Droupadi Murmu will also host a banquet in his honour. Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar are envisaged to call on President Lula.

President Lula is accompanied by about 14 ministers and a large delegation of top CEOs of Brazilian companies. The accompanying ministers would be having meetings with their Indian counterparts. The CEOs are expected to participate in a Business Forum being organised during the visit of the Brazilian President, reflecting the growing trade and commercial engagements between the two countries.

This is the sixth visit of President Lula to India.

"He had first visited India in 2004 as the Guest of Honour for Republic Day celebrations, and last visited India for the G20 Summit in September 2023. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Lula have, however, been meeting frequently in between. It may be recalled that Prime Minister Modi was in Brasilia on a State Visit from 7-8 July 2025, which was the first State Visit by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 57 years. Both leaders also met in Johannesburg during the G20, in November 2025," the MEA stated.

India and Brazil share a warm, close and multi-faceted Strategic Partnership, rooted in shared democratic values, close people-to-people ties and expanding cooperation across key sectors. The two large democracies have been Strategic Partners since 2006.

"Brazil is India's largest trading partner in LAC region and bilateral engagement has continued to deepen in areas such as trade and investment, defence, energy, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, energy, including renewables, critical minerals, rare earth materials, science and technology and innovation, including in cooperation in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and AI, space and people-to-people linkages. The two countries share common views on various international issues, including UN reforms, climate change and combating terrorism."

The MEA highlighted that the State Visit of President Lula will provide an opportunity for both sides to chart a forward-looking agenda for further strengthening bilateral Strategic Partnership and further deepen cooperation across bilateral, regional and global platforms, on issues of mutual interest.

/IANS