PM Modi Conferred Brazil’s Top Honour: Grand Collar of Southern Cross
Award and Honour
8 min read
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva honoured the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the country’s highest civilian award - The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross”- in a ceremony in Brasilia on 8th July 2025.
Prime Minister Modi is on a five-nation State visit to Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia from 2-9 July 2025.
During his five-nation State visit. Prime Minister Modi has been honoured with Ghana’s highest award, “ The Order of the Star of Ghana", and Trinidad and Tobago’s highest honour, “The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago”.
During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Brazil, India and Brazil signed six agreements/ memorandum of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen their Strategic Partnership.
PM Modi's Fourth Visit to Brazil and First Bilateral Visit
After Indira Gandhi (1968) and Dr Manmohan Singh (2006, 2010, and 2012), Prime Minister Modi is the third Indian Prime Minister to visit Brazil.
This was his fourth visit to Brazil, following his visits in 2014, 2019, and 2024, but this was his first bilateral visit.
He visited Brazil to attend the BRICS Summit in 2014 and 2019, as well as the G20 Summit in 2024.
An Indian Prime Minister visited Brazil for a bilateral State visit after a 57-year gap.
Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1968 was the first and last bilateral State visit of an Indian Prime Minister before PM Modi’s visit in 2025.
PM Modi was in Brazil from July 5 to 8, 2025, to attend the 17th BRICS Summit Meeting and his first bilateral State Visit.
The BRICS Summit meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro (6-7 July). For the bilateral State visit, PM Modi went to the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, to hold delegation-level talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
India and Brazil Identify Five Pillars of Cooperation
Prime Minister Narendra was warmly welcomed by the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia.
Alvorada Palace is the official residence and office of the President of Brazil.
India and Brazil share a Strategic Partnership and share close and cordial ties.
During Prime Minister Modi’s delegation-level talks, both leaders discussed bilateral and global issues.
After the meeting, both leaders issued a joint statement titled "India and Brazil - Two Great Nations with Higher Purposes."
The joint statement identified five pillars of cooperation that will define India-Brazil's strategic partnership for the coming decade.
- Defence and Security;
- Food and Nutritional Security;
- Energy Transition and Climate Change;
- Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies;
- Industrial Partnerships in Strategic Areas.
Six Agreement and MoUs
Six agreements and MoUs were signed and exchanged between the two countries during PM Modi’s visit.
They are:
- Agreement on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime.
- Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information.
- MoU on sharing of Successful Large-scale Digital solutions for Digital Transformation
- MoU on Renewable Energy.
- MoU between EMBRAPA of Brazil and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for cooperation in agriculture.
- MoU between the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of India and the Secretariat of Competitiveness and Regulatory Policy, MDIC of Brazil, for cooperation in the field of Intellectual Property.
Trade Target of $20 Billion
- Both sides agreed to increase the bilateral trade between India and Brazil to $20 billion by 2030.
- In 2024-25, the total trade was $12.20 billion.
- Indian imports from Brazil were $5.43 billion. India mainly imports crude oil, soya oil,raw sugar,iron ore concentrates, etc.
- Indian exports were $ 6.77 billion. India mainly exports Diesel, Agrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and engineering products.
India and Brazil Relationships
India established diplomatic relations with Brazil in 1948.
The relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership in 2006.
India and Brazil are the co-founders of the Global Biofuel Alliance.
In the early 20th century, India exported Gir and Kankrej cows to Brazil, which were modified in Brazil to yield high quantities of milk.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the Amazonia-1 satellite in 2021.
About Brazil
It is the world’s fifth-largest country, both in terms of area and population, and the largest in South America.
It encompasses most of the Amazon River basin, which is the largest river basin in the world.
Brazil was a Portuguese colony, and it became independent in September 1822.
Capital: Brasilia
Currency: Real
Language: Portuguese
President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Also see
List of Foreign Governments’ State Honours Received by PM Narendra Modi
PM Modi's visit to Trinidad and Tobago
PM Modi's visit to Argentina
17th BRICS Summit Meeting
