In an insightful and timely conversation with India Empire magazine, Bula Devi, 
Consulting Editor (International Affairs), engages His Excellency Kenneth Félix Haczynski da Nóbrega, Ambassador of Brazil to India, on the evolving contours of the Brazil–India strategic partnership. The discussion spans multilateral cooperation through forums like BRICS, G20, and IBSA; high-level bilateral visits; climate change collaboration; cultural and educational exchanges; and the growing economic synergies between the two democratic powerhouses of the Global South. 
The Ambassador provides a candid and comprehensive view of how the ties are 
deepening—not just in political and diplomatic terms, but through business, innovation, and shared global responsibility.

How does Brazil view Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming BRICS visit in strengthening bilateral ties in today’s shifting global landscape? Could you also shed light on recent high-level visits and multilateral cooperation?

Brazil and India have closely coordinated within BRICS since its inception. Prime Minister Modi has played an essential role in promoting the forum, advancing constructive solutions, and defending shared values and interests.

Our leaders—PM Modi and successive Presidents of Brazil including Dilma Rousseff, Michel Temer, Jair Bolsonaro, and now President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—have all engaged deeply through BRICS. The coordination is natural and seamless because of our shared values and interests. We expect this to continue. Brazil and India have consistently collaborated in multilateral forums throughout our diplomatic history.

So, do you believe this visit will strengthen bilateral ties despite global uncertainties?

Absolutely. Brazil and India, as two major democracies in BRICS, have long advocated peaceful dispute resolution based on shared democratic principles. We strongly support multilateralism and institutional reform in global governance. That commitment remains firm.

Could you elaborate on the high-level bilateral visits and multilateral engagements?

There has been a string of high-level visits from Brazil to India and India to Brazil. In August 2024, my Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira visited India for the Ninth India-Brazil Joint Commission meeting.

Honourable Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri paid a visit to Brazil last year and the year before to strengthen bilateral cooperation in energy, renewable energy and non-renewable energy sectors. Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was also in Brazil in May this year.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army was in Brazil, if I am not mistaken, in 2023. The Commander-in-Chief of the Brazilian army General Tomas Miguel Mine Ribeiro Paiva was in India in August 2023; also the chief of staff of our navy visited India in 2023.

Are there more such high-level visits on the cards?

Yes, of course. After the BRICS Summit, Prime Minister Modi will pay a full-fledged state visit to Brazil—separate from the BRICS engagements. Additionally, our Minister of Environment, Marina Silva, is expected to visit India in September or early October ahead of COP30 in Brazil. She was here earlier this year as well. India is a key partner for Brazil in global climate negotiations.

Brazil and India are both members of BRICS, G20, and IBSA. How do these platforms advance mutual strategic interests globally?

These groupings serve as building blocks of a broader consensus. In IBSA—comprising Brazil, India, and South Africa—we discuss specific issues. BRICS covers a wider agenda. These platforms don’t replace the United Nations, which remains the principal body for addressing global challenges. Rather, they complement it through plurilateral coordination.