Thursday, 21 February 2013

Brazil, Russia enhance ties in defense, agriculture

BRASILIA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Brazil and Russia agreed on Wednesday to negotiatethe purchase of Russia's anti-aircraft defense systems, jointly develop defenseproducts and transfer technology to Brazilian defense companies without restrictions.

The agreement was reached during the talks between Brazilian President DilmaRousseff and visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, who arrived in Brazil onWednesday for a three-day visit.

Brazil is interesting in buying Russia's medium-range surface-to-air Pantsir S1combined missile and artillery batteries and Igla-S shoulder-held missiles, in part tobeef up security during the World Cup soccer tournament next year and the 2016Olympic Games. Contract negotiations are expected to begin in March.

The two countries have sought to deepen defense cooperation since they signed aStrategic Partnership Action Plan in December during Rousseff's visit to Moscow. Underthe document, Brazil and Russia will strengthen cooperation in defense industry andtraining while setting up partnership for the purchase of defense systems.

During their talks on Wednesday, the two leaders also agreed to exchange informationon organizing major sporting events. Russia is to host 2014 Winter Olympics and theWorld Cup in 2018.

In addition, Russia agreed to collaborate with Brazil's "Science Without Borders"scholarship program by opening slots in graduate and post-graduate courses forBrazilian students in Russia.

On agriculture, the two countries sealed two agreements to eliminate trade barriers forBrazil to sell soy bran for animal feed in Russia and establish phytosanitary measuresfor Russian wheat exports to Brazil.

During their talks, Medvedev and Rousseff also discussed the ongoing global financialcrisis and the political unrest in Syria, according to official sources from the Brazilianpresidency.

As a sign of the two countries drawing closer, Brazil on Tuesday became the firstcountry outside Russia to host a monitoring station for the Russian satellite navigationsystem GLONASS, a global positioning system that uses 24 satellites.

After his visit to Brazil, Medvedev will continue to travel to Cuba, where he will meet withCuban leader Raul Castro for broader trade ties.
Original Article Here

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