Brazil, Viet Nam overcome distance barrier
Ambassador Joao de Mendonca Lima Neto talked to Viet Nam News on the occasion of Brazil's National Day today.
Can you share with our readers some of the year's most significant events in bilateral relations between Viet Nam and Brazil in the past year?
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Joao de Mendonca Lima Neto |
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Viet Nam News for this renewed opportunity to provide its esteemed readers with a view of what we have been able to achieve over the past year in Brazil and in our relationship with Viet Nam.
As we celebrate the Brazilian National Day, the 188th anniversary of our independence, we have plenty of reasons to congratulate ourselves and to be confident about what the future may bring.
At present, Brazilians the world over are looking forward to our next general election, to be held in the beginning of October. Official figures show that 136 million Brazilian will be voting to elect the President, Governors, Senators and Deputies at Federal and Municipal levels. Although President Lula will not be able to stand for re-election, as we have a two-term limit, which excludes him from running for a third term, his policies, that have brought great benefits to our people, will be maintained and strengthened, whatever the results of the ballots.
| Brazil at a glance Area: 8,514,876sq.km Population: Over 187 million Capital: Brasilia Language: Portuguese Currency: Real National Flag: Green with a yellow lozenge containing a blue sphere studded with white stars and crossed by a white band with the motto Ordem e Progresso. |
Gone is a time when Brazil struggled with under-development, overburdened by foreign debt and spiralling inflation. For the last eight years, Brazil has been on the path of sustainable growth and development, even when the world was facing, in 2008-2009, the most serious economic crises since the New York Stock Exchange crash in 1929. This year, we are confident that our economy will grow by 5 to 6 per cent. This has permitted Brazil to recover its international standing and widen its diplomatic horizon.
With Viet Nam, through frequent bilateral visits, such as Party Secretary Nong Duc Manh's visit to Brazil, in 2007, and President Lula's trip to Viet Nam in 2008, we have been building a comprehensive partnership that has widened our dialogue and straightened our bilateral ties. As a result, we overcame the knowledge barrier that was imposed by geographic distance and we are now more conscious of our potentialities.
As the Brazilian Ambassador to Viet Nam, I am happy to be able to be in Ha Noi to witness the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of the country's Independence and the passing of the millennium of the founding of Ha Noi's Imperial Citadel – Thang Long. We were particularly pleased with the inscription of Thang Long in UNESCO's World Heritage list, during the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia in August. Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate the people and the Government of Viet Nam for this historic moment and this important recognition.
Over the last year, we have concentrated our efforts on implementing the agreements that we have between us. To this end, a delegation headed by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Pham Binh Minh, visited Brasilia last May, for the second Political Consultations meeting between our two countries. This meeting allowed the two countries to undertake a review of our bilateral agenda and to define new goals for the year to come. In the cultural side, we hosted a number of events in Ha Noi, such as the presentation of the Unirio Quartet, Rio de Janeiro's Orquestra, the Qasar contemporary dance group, a Brazilian Film season and, more recently, the exhibition of Brazilian graphic art – ‘Dingbats'. In its turn, we were happy to welcome last October, a delegation headed by Viet Nam's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh for meetings with his counterpart and for the launch of what became a very successful Viet Nam's "Cultural Week" in Brasilia.
The two countries have agreed to increase two-way trade turnover to US$1 billion. When do you think this can be realised?
This goal was set during President Lula's visit to Viet Nam in 2008. We were certain that we could reach it this year, but, unfortunately, the international economic crisis had an adverse effect on our trade, leading to a reduction in volume and value. However, we are glad to see that trade figures for January to August 2010 show a substantial increase, totalling US$541 million, more than what was registered during the whole of 2009 (US$532 million). If the international economic recovery continues, as we believe it will, it is possible that we'll finish 2010 with bilateral trade flows close to US$700 – US$750 million and reach our goal next year.
Brazil is rich in natural resources. Can you share with Viet Nam your country's experience in balancing the extraction of natural resources with environmental protection?
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An overview of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil and the third largest metropolitan area in South America. — VNS File Photo |
President Lula's administration has been trying to set an example on the way we treat the question of environmental sustainability and economic growth. This means that the exploitation of natural resources must follow strict environmental laws, must be licenced by relevant State entities and must be approved by the Ministry of Environment. It is precisely because of the concern of Brazilian public opinion that Brazil now has the cleanest energy matrix in the world (47 per cent renewable). However, in order to guarantee sustainability, we must also rely on carbon fuels and, in this, Brazil has been in the forefront in deep water oil exploitation technology. After the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazilian Government has reviewed existing legislation and severely tightened security rules and regulations in order to ensure that we do not have to face a similar disaster. We believe that biodiversity is an asset that must be preserved in order to guarantee the well-being of future generations and, on the basis of several multi-sector programmes, such as the Sustainable Amazon Plan, we have set ambitious goals. Internationally, the question of sustainable development has also been a top priority in our bilateral and multilateral agendas, such as our commitment to the voluntary restriction of greenhouse gases, proposed in COP-15. We are also co-operating with other countries to develop renewable energy and biofuel technology. Considering that Viet Nam has a huge potential on this area, we have signed a co-operation agreement on technology transfer relating to ethanol production.
How has Brazil started preparing to host the World Cup in 2014? Are there any challenges for the country?
Brazil has been preparing for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 for many years. For the Brazilian people it will be a challenge to host two of the most prestigious sportive events in succession. In order to earn this privilege, Brazil had to show that we could meet all of FIFA and Olympic Committee's requirements. We will invest over US$20 billion in upgrading and building of adequate infrastructure, including renewing stadiums, improving public transport and international airports. We believe that these investments make sense, because of the direct and indirect effects that they will have on the economy and the quality of life of the cities involved. The World Cup and the Olympic Games will be a chance to show Brazil in a new light and we are certain that people from all over the world will have a great time. — VNS