Address by Her Excellency the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil, to the Senate of the National Congress of Brazil

Honourable President of the Senate, Mr. Garibaldi Alves Filho,

Honourable Members of the Senate,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am deeply honoured by the opportunity to address this august House which epitomises the aspirations of the people of Brazil. The honour you have bestowed upon me is a manifestation of the historical, warm and cordial relations between our two friendly countries.

I am delighted to be here in the modern and meticulously planned city of Brasilia built around the placid waters of Lake Paranoa. I am impressed by the architecture of your beautiful city. The impressive building of the Congress of Brazil is itself a landmark.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

India is the world's largest democracy with an electorate of more than 670 million. The roots of democracy in India are firm, deep and abiding. Inspite of the many challenges faced by us since our Independence in 1947, the people of India have always had an unwavering faith in the ideals of democracy. India has held 14 nationwide General Elections since its Independence and each election has been followed by a peaceful governmental transition. The verdict of the people of India has always been respected.

The democratic experience in India is remarkable because democracy has been carried to the grassroots level right down to more than six hundred thousand villages. India's nearly two hundred and fifty thousand elected institutions of local self government bring together nearly 2.3 million representatives of whom around 1.2 million are women. In today's world, this is undoubtedly the largest expression of popular will in running the affairs of a country.

India is proud of its democratic heritage drawing sustenance from its cultural ethos of tolerance, respect for different view points and a ready acceptance of diversity. India's commitment to democracy is linked with its commitment to the values of pluralism and liberalism. Multi-culturalism is deeply rooted in India's heritage and civilization. The scale of the socio-political experiment in India to build a modern state is historically unprecedented. Our success validates our conviction in diversity, multi-culturalism and democracy. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was clear that freedom from the British colonial rule would mean very little unless the people of India were empowered with democracy. India believes that the democratic ideal is a common heritage of mankind.

As in Brazil, the primary challenge facing India is one of economic development. Both of our countries are determined to improve the conditions of life for our people and this can be done only by pursuing rapid and socially inclusive economic growth. However, we have chosen to work towards this goal within the framework of democracy. The task of economic development, never an easy one, is particularly challenging when it is to be realized in a democratic polity. However, our commitment to economic growth, social development and democracy is firm and resolute.

Today, India is a trillion dollar economy, just like Brazil, and is growing close to 9 percent per annum. India has the fourth largest GDP in terms of purchasing power. The private sector is confident, competitive, and eager to integrate itself globally. The entrepreneurial energy has manifested itself in the form of dynamism across a wide range of sectors of economic activity.

This has been the result of sustained efforts of national and regional institutions, which provide the underpinning of economic development. It is also the result of economic reforms, which have greatly increased competitiveness of India's goods and services. Economic analysts today agree that India, like Brazil, has the potential to emerge as one of the top economies of the world over the coming decades. The fact that this progress has drawn on, and in turn strengthened our democracy, is an achievement of which we can justly be proud of.

The unprecedented economic transformations taking place in India and Brazil open areas of immense potential for bilateral cooperation. Bilateral trade has grown from a mere US$ 500 million in 2000 to US$ 3.12 billion in 2007. I believe that this impressive performance is an indicator of future growth. We are now looking at a target of US$ 10 billion in two-way trade by 2010 which appears eminently achievable.

The growing trade flows between our two countries will undoubtedly get a further boost with the ratification and implementation of the India-Mercosur Preferential Trade Agreement. India looks forward to the early ratification by this august House of the Preferential Trade Agreement which was signed during the landmark visit of President Lula to India in January 2004. The proposed widening and deepening of the PTA and its envisaged expansion into an India-Mercosur-SACU Free Trade Agreement will enable our business communities to forge wider and stronger economic linkages.

The perceptible upsurge in investment flows between our two countries compliments the burgeoning trade ties. While Brazil has the presence of Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computers, Ranbaxy and Cellofarm which are providing employment to several thousand Brazilians, India houses Brazilian companies such as Marcopolo and Stefanini . ONGC Videsh Limited and Petrobras have an active bilateral partnership. Happily, the interest of India in sectors such as sugar, ethanol, iron ore and railways in Brazil is mirrored by Brazil's interest in the avionics, food processing and infrastructure sectors of India.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

The multifaceted strategic partnership between India and Brazil is built upon a strong institutional architecture whose bricks are the 37 agreements signed over the last four years. These agreements cover a wide range of areas including defence, space, science & technology, trade, industry, agriculture, tourism and culture. These would be further deepened and diversified when we sign additional agreements tomorrow. Our Governments can derive satisfaction from the fact that they have created an enabling environment for our bilateral ties to flourish and prosper.

I am convinced that the new dynamics of India-Brazil relationship augur well for the prosperity and well-being of our peoples. However, it is important for us to make concerted efforts to bring our peoples together. The geographical distance needs to be transcended by providing improved air connectivity for which the major players in the Civil Aviation sector, both public and private, in India and Brazil need to take the necessary initiative. Tourism flows between the two countries should be encouraged as also exchanges between students, academic communities and intellectuals. We also need to build cultural bridges between our people so that the existing information deficit between our two countries can be overcome. The two Governments have already decided to organize cultural festivals on a reciprocal basis later this year. Our bilateral partnership should move from a partnership between the governments to the next higher level of a partnership between our peoples.

I believe that our strategic partnership is founded on convergence of world views and shared vision of a new multi-polar world order. We have closely coordinated our positions in the multilateral fora and are working together within the framework of G-4 to pursue our rightful and long overdue permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Our mutual interests provide a sound basis for a growing partnership which would serve the global quest to realize a peaceful, secure, prosperous, stable and equitable world order.

Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote, "Democracy must in essence mean � the common good of all". The essence thus of Gandhiji's political philosophy was the empowerment of every individual. Both India and Brazil are engaged in a historical struggle to empower all their citizens irrespective of class, creed or community. Our democracy is about protecting the dignity and self-respect of our citizens and assuring them a peaceful and prosperous life. Both our countries are determined to succeed in this vital task in which our Parliaments have a crucial role to play.

Obrigada.