“We are Africa's natural partners,” says Lula during visit of Benin’s President

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed Benin's President, Patrice Talon, to Planalto Palace this Thursday, May 23. The two leaders decided to give new momentum to the bilateral partnership, focusing on agriculture, technical and vocational training, culture, tourism, air transportation, defense and security, and development financing. President Talon also invited President Lula to visit Benin again.

We are Africa's natural partners, and we see the world with an African eye, as well. This leads us to incorporate the continent's perspective into our global actions, as we are doing in our presidency of the G20”

LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA
President of Brazil

“It is a pleasure to host the African diplomatic corps at this luncheon in honor of Africa Day, and an honor to have the President of Benin, Patrice Talon, as our special guest. We are Africa's natural partners, and we see the world with an African eye, as well. This leads us to incorporate the continent's perspective into our global actions, as we are doing in our presidency of the G20,” said President Lula in his statement to the press, which followed the joint signing of agreements in the fields of aviation, culture, tourism, and diplomatic training.

Lula underscored that the historic and cultural ties between Benin and Brazil will be strengthened by the establishment of a Brazilian cultural center in the Beninese city of Uidá and by the agreements signed this Thursday. “We nurture our common history at the House of Benin in Salvador, and we are going to do the same at the House of Brazil in Uidá, creating a vibrant cultural center there. Today, we established a memorandum of understanding on arts, culture, and heritage to preserve this bond,” he declared.

Lula also highlighted the role of the technical personnel who sustain and expand the legacy of one of Brazil's most successful cooperation programs, which has benefitted the cotton sector in Benin and 17 other African countries. “I am certain that this exchange will grow with the reopening of the Beninese Embassy in Brasilia and the creation of a Brazilian cooperation center for the whole continent in Addis Ababa, where agencies such as ABC, Embrapa and Fiocruz will be present,” President Lula declared. President Talon highlighted Embrapa's technical contribution to the agricultural development of his country.

É uma satisfação contar com o corpo diplomático africano nosso almoço em homenagem ao Dia da África e uma honra ter o presidente do Benim, @PatriceTalonPR, como convidado especial. O Benim abriga uma das maiores comunidades de “retornados” do continente, repleta de Souzas,…

— Lula (@LulaOficial) May 23, 2024

INVESTMENTS — Patrice Talon expressed his eagerness to expand Benin’s partnership with Brazil and to attract investment to foster his country’s development. “Africa is changing and Benin is an example of this change. It is this new Benin that is opening up today for a new cooperation with Brazil and inviting Brazilian investors to discover our country,” he said. Talon mentioned the positive results recently obtained by Benin's development agenda. “Benin does not need help, but it needs to be seen. When this happens, it will be able to promote development through partnerships and investment,” said the Beninese President during the bilateral meeting with President Lula. “Our country seeks an attentive gaze, aiming to be recognized as a partner nation, offering a secure and protected environment with clear rules for investments,” he said.

CONNECTION — President Talon recalled the ties of blood and cultural between Brazil and Benin. He announced that his country is about to pass legislation to give Beninese nationality to all people of African descent who demonstrate an interest in obtaining it. “Benin is inviting every Brazilian to discover a part of their origins in the African lands of Benin”, he declared. “From our perspective, therefore, every Brazilian Afro-descendant is Beninese and this should be ssomething they are proud of,” he said. In August, by invitation of the African Union, Brazil will host the Regional Conference of the Diaspora and Afro-descendants from the Americas and the Caribbean, in Salvador, Bahia.

COMBATING HUNGER — Lula invited Benin to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative of the Brazilian Presidency of the G20, and the invitation was warmly welcomed. Brazil also renewed the iinvitationfor Benim to participate in the Joint Communication "United for Our Forests". 

President Talon praised Brazil’s  international credibility and its role in discussing global financial institutions. Together with the African Union, which is participating as a full G20 member, Brazil has raised warnings about the issue of national debt. In June, the G20 Financial Architecture Working Group will host a debate with African specialists. The results of this meeting will be taken to the meeting of G20 Finance Ministers. 

“Many developing countries have already formulated effective policies to eradicate hunger and poverty. Our goal at the G20 is to mobilize resources to expand and adapt them to other realities. That is why we invite African countries to join our Global Alliance to Fight Hunger and Poverty, which will be open for membership as of July,” stated Lula.

AGREEMENTS — Both presidents agreed on the importance of establishing direct airline connections between the two countries. The protocol amending the agreement on air services between Brazil and Benin, signed this Thursday, aims to provide legal certainty for airlines intending to operate routes between the two countries. It includes provisions for the freedom to determine bilateral air frequencies for passengers and cargo, routes, destinations and transportation tariffs.

Benin’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts and Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism signed memorandums of understanding to foment culture and tourism in both countries. The joint instrument establishes a roadmap for cooperation in the tourism sector by promoting bilateral flows of tourists, actions to develop touristic potential and investments in the sector in both countries. 

The agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Culture creates a framework to foster dynamic cooperation in the areas of culture, the arts, museums, science, and heritage between the countries, including research activities in the domains of the cultural and material heritage of the Vodum-Orixás. 

Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Instituto Rio Branco and Benin’s Diplomatic Training Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin are to develop cooperation activities in the field of diplomatic training, including student and teacher exchanges, joint seminars and events, as well as information exchange on study programs.