Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to pay 4-day visit to India from Jan 24

Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro will pay a four-day visit to India from January 24 to attend the Republic Day Parade as the Chief Guest, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro is visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will be accomped by a Brazilian delegation comprising of seven ministers, senior officials, Chairman of Brazil-India Friendship Group in the Brazilian Parliament, and businessmen.

This is the first state visit by Bolsonaro to India. The last Presidential visit from Brazil was by President Michel Temer in October 2016 on the sidelines of the VIII BRICS Summit in Goa.

During the visit, Bolsonaro will meet President Ram Nath Kovind -- who will host a banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in his honor -- and hold talks with PM Modi.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on President Bolsonaro.

On 27 January, Bolsonaro will address Indian and Brazilian Business leaders at the India-Brazil Business Forum.

This visit is expected to further enhance and strengthen the multi-faceted ties between India-Brazil.

India-Brazil relations are based on a common global vision, shared democratic values, and a commitment to foster the economic growth of both countries.

"Bilateral relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2006, heralding a new phase in India-Brazil relations. The relations are strong not only at the bilateral level but also at plurilateral fora such as BRICS, IBSA, G-20 and in multilateral bodies particularly the UN," the MEA said in a statement.

( With inputs from ANI )