Washington, April 13: In order to enhance their cooperation in the field of security and research and development of military systems, US and Brazil signed a defense cooperation agreement.
The agreement in this regard was signed by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and visiting Brazilian Minister Nelson Jobim.
The two countries also agreed to re-establish the Brazil-US Defense Bilateral Working Group.
“The agreement is a formal acknowledgement of the many security interests and values we share as the two most populous democracies in the Americas,” Gates said.
These include strengthening of democratic
institutions around the world, promotion of economic growth and opportunity, overcoming poverty, supporting international peace and security, developing sources of sustainable energy, and addressing global environmental challenges.
“These common interests make Brazil’s growing involvement and significance in global affairs a welcome development to the US,” Gates said.
The defense cooperation between the US and Brazil sets an important example, a partnership that offers a transparent, positive model for engagement throughout the Americas, he added.
“This agreement will lead to a deepening of US-Brazil defense cooperation at all levels and will demonstrate how much more effectively we can confront shared security challenges when we work in partnership,” Gates said.
Speaking on the occasion, Brazilian Defense Minister said the agreement shows the need for more cooperation between Brazil and the US.
“This agreement will allow us to strengthen our relationship without any mental reservation, everything based on trust,” Jobim said.
“The peace in the world as we know it will depend much and much more on transparency and this kind of relationship that we have now.
There are several mutual topics that we have to deal with, following this line of behaviour,” he said.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement between the two countries include cooperation in the fields of research and development, logistics support, technology security, and the acquisition of defense products and services; and information exchanges on topics such as operational experiences, defense technology, and international peacekeeping operations.
It also includes combined military training and education, and joint military exercises; collaboration relating to military systems and equipment, exchanges of instructors and students from defense institutions, naval ship visits and commercial initiatives related to defense matters.
–PTI