India and Brazil today emphasised the need for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. The joint declaration between the two countries, which followed the meeting between visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also expressed the India-Brazil strategic dialogue. Brazil is an influential member of the 45-member nuclear supplier group (NSG).

The declaration said that the two countries emphasised the need for early holding of the first meeting of the India-Brazil Defence Committee and “early development of a programme of cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy consistent with their international obligations”.

Singh and Lula also expressed “particular satisfaction” at the launch of the first meeting of the India-Brazil Strategic Dialogue, which was co-chaired by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Brazil Foreign Minister Celso Amorim. The dialogue enabled both sides to review the state of cooperation and chart out a course for the future in the areas of space, nuclear energy for peaceful use, defence and the fight against terrorism.

The leaders also reaffirmed their understanding that “no reform of the UN will be complete without reform of the Security Council”. They reiterated their support for each other's permanent membership in an expanded UNSC. Silva also met President A P J Abdul Kalam, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The two countries also signed seven MoUs and agreements, including the one to swap their offshore hydrocarbon assets. This agreement on oil sector will mark the entry of Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) to India and an increased presence of Indian oil firms in Brazil. “The agreement is the culmination of an MoU we had signed with Petrobras in September 2006,” ONGC chairman R S Sharma said.

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