Brazil and India are exploring deeper defence cooperation, artificial intelligence, skills development and emerging economic sectors, with possible investment by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer in India also figuring in bilateral discussions, a senior Brazilian minister has said.

Brazil’s Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Marcio Elias Rosa outlined the areas following his meeting with India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting here.

Responding to an IANS question on areas in which Brazil and India could work together, Rosa pointed to a wide-ranging agenda extending from new technologies to defence.

He identified “bioeconomy, circular economy, digital economy” and “artificial intelligence” among areas for cooperation.

Skills development was another subject discussed by the two sides.

“We spoke about manpower, capacity building,” Rosa said through an interpreter during the impromptu gaggle with a group of reporters.

The minister pointed specifically to India’s strength in vocational training, saying the country “has high vocational courses”.

Defence also figured in the discussions.

He then disclosed that possible investment by Embraer in India had been discussed.

“Possibility of having investments of Embraer aircraft in India. It’s a long list,” he said through the interpreter.

The minister did not provide details about the possible Embraer investment, including its size, location or potential projects.

Rosa, however, made clear that Brazil views its economic relationship with India as significant.

“India is a highly important trading partner to Brazil,” he said.

“India is an economy that is very important to the whole wide world. We have good relations with them,” Rosa said.

His comments came as Brazil and India also discussed expanding their existing trade arrangement through Mercosur.

Rosa said the current preferential tariff agreement was limited and that the two sides were considering a broader arrangement. He said terms of reference had recently been drafted, providing a framework from which proposals could be developed.

India and Brazil maintain a Strategic Partnership and cooperate through forums including BRICS, IBSA and the G20. Defence, science and technology, energy and trade have been among the areas of bilateral engagement.

Embraer, headquartered in Brazil, is one of the world’s major aircraft manufacturers. Its aircraft already have a presence in India across civil and defence aviation, making the prospect of investment in India a potentially significant new dimension of the bilateral industrial relationship.