DHAKA, Bangladesh

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday that he plans to visit Bangladesh by February next year to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Lula made the announcement while meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event in Rome, Italy after accepting Yunus’ invitation, according to Yunus’ office Tuesday.

“I will go to Bangladesh,” Lula affirmed, adding that Brazil is keen to share its experience in providing universal health care for its citizens and to learn from Bangladesh’s pioneering work in social business and microcredit, it said.

Both leaders served as keynote speakers at the forum and later held a bilateral meeting at FAO headquarters to discuss matters of mutual interest, including social business, universal health care, social inclusion and strategies to combat poverty.

The two leaders also explored opportunities for cooperation in areas such as deep-sea fishing, pharmaceuticals—including the push to make vaccines patent-free and affordable—climate change action ahead of the upcoming COP30 summit, and the recent youth-led uprising in Bangladesh in July 2024.

Lula also extended an invitation to Yunus to participate in COP30, which will be held in an Amazonian state to draw global attention to the fight to protect the world's largest tropical rainforest.

On the sidelines, Yunus also met with Djibouti’s Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed and Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri.