Foreign

APA interviewed Manuel Adalberto Carlos Montenegro Lopes da Cruz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Brazil in the Republic of Azerbaijan

– Recently, during the visit of Azerbaijan’s deputy ministers to Brazil, the two countries held extensive discussions on cooperation in the fields of economy, energy, education, and other areas. What can you say about the prospects of this visit?

- The visits were made by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elnur Mammadov, who was in Brazil for the fifth round of high-level political consultations. On the same day, during the same week, the First Deputy Minister of Economy, Elnur Aliyev, led a delegation of more than 10 people for the first-ever joint working group meeting on trade and investment cooperation.

Both meetings were very important. The first was the political consultations—the fifth round—which, over the last few years, has become, so to speak, a regular part of our calendar. We now hold regular high-level political consultation meetings between Deputy Foreign Ministers.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mammadov was also received by our Foreign Minister, where they had a separate discussion. Both Deputy Ministers, Mammadov and Aliyev, were additionally received by the Vice President of Brazil, Mr. Alckmin, who attended COP29 as head of delegation. Back in November 2024, here in Baku, our Vice President met with His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev.

They had a very productive meeting and discussed the joint working group on trade and investment cooperation. From the outset, it was a high-level meeting, and the results are very encouraging. We now have a roadmap covering many areas, including education, energy, agriculture, tourism, and space. I am very optimistic that this roadmap will be successfully implemented over the next few years.

Cooperation in education opens doors to other areas

– An agreement on cooperation in the field of education has been signed between Azerbaijan and Brazil. What contributions will it make?

– Education is actually one of my favorite issues. Another is Capoeira, which is thriving in Azerbaijan. But cooperation in education is a long-term project because it builds trust and fosters communities.

People who travel and study in another country learn about that country and its society; they become integrated and gain real-life experiences beyond advanced training. So it’s not only about training—it’s also about culture, society, and daily life. That’s why education is one of my favorite issues.

Cooperation in education nurtures a long-term sense of community and can pave the way for collaboration in other areas. For example, we have a memorandum of understanding between the Ministries of Agriculture of Brazil and Azerbaijan, signed in September last year.

Through advanced training, technology exchanges, and the transfer of knowledge, new fields of scientific study are opened, ideas are shared, and capacity is built. It strengthens social capital and contributes to creating truly strong, long-term relationships.

So it’s not only about trade or profit—education is the foundation of a very strong and lasting relationship.

Brazil and Azerbaijan have similar technological challenges

– What are the opportunities for cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, tourism and technology?

– All of these areas involve technology, of course—technology is everywhere. You need technology for sustainable tourism, agriculture, and energy. Regarding agriculture, there are specific areas of interest for Azerbaijan that involve technology transfer, and productivity is a key focus.

High productivity must be balanced with sustainability. Careful management of fertilizers and pest control is essential, and the overall sustainability of the agricultural enterprise requires significant technological and scientific input.

By working on productivity, we can exchange knowledge not only about crop cultivation but also about meat production. Areas such as cattle productivity, milk production, and farming are all high-priority.

Regarding energy, both Brazil and Azerbaijan are major producers of fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas, and we are both members of OPEC+. This means we share similar interests and technological challenges. Azerbaijan is near the Caspian Sea, a major global energy source, with most production offshore in deep water. Both countries have developed technologies to address these challenges.

The transition to green energy is also a shared priority. Brazil already produces a large portion of its electricity from renewable sources, and Azerbaijan aims to generate 40% from renewables by 2030.

There are many areas of common interest, including space technology, where we have also found opportunities for collaboration. Overall, I am very optimistic about the prospects for cooperation.

I am very happy to see the contributions of Brazilian players to the development of Azerbaijani football.

– As we know, Brazil is also a football country. What innovative approaches are possible to strengthen sports ties between Azerbaijan and Brazil?

– As you know, both Brazil and Azerbaijan have ministries of sports. Two years ago, we signed a new agreement—one of the first agreements between Azerbaijan and Brazil was on sports. Our Minister of Sport visited Baku and signed an agreement with your Minister of Youth and Sport.

The agreement covers many areas. Of course, I’ve already mentioned capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, which is well developed here in Azerbaijan and even has a federation. I’m very glad and proud that Brazilian sports are loved by so many young Azerbaijani people.

We also have a strong presence of Brazilian jiu-jitsu here, which I’m equally pleased to see. And, of course, I must mention football. I know your team, Karabakh, is performing very well in the Champions League. While everyone plays well, the Brazilians have scored at the right moments.

I’m also pleased to see Brazilians contributing to the development of football in Azerbaijan. A few years ago, I proposed—though it was originally an idea from the Brazilian Football Federation—to host young Azerbaijani talents in Brazil, where schools prepare young players. This is an idea that could be further developed.

Of course, professional football clubs have their own hiring practices, and I’m glad to see them recruit talented Brazilian players. The Brazilian players themselves are very happy to play here; I’ve spoken to some of them, and they feel very welcomed and well-adapted in Azerbaijan.

Sometimes it takes me a day to get to Brazil

– Are there any plans or negotiations underway to open direct flights between Azerbaijan and Brazil?

– Well, I wish we had direct flights, because sometimes it takes me a whole day to get home. Indeed, we are discussing it. First and foremost, we are negotiating an air services agreement. By the way, I just received the latest version from the Azerbaijani side late yesterday, and I will send it promptly to Brazil. I hope we can finalize the negotiations soon and sign the agreement. That will be the first step. After that, the airlines can come together to discuss the commercial aspects of direct travel.

Of course, that’s a different matter. But if other airlines operate similar services profitably, I don’t see why we couldn’t have direct flights to Baku. Baku, as a regional hub, could then offer ongoing connections to other destinations. Likewise, AZAL could fly to Brazil, and from there reach other destinations in South America.

– What message does Brazil want to send to the world through COP30? As far as we know, it is no coincidence that the event is being held in the city of Belem.

– Yes, I know. Well, do we have three hours? Because this takes a long time. Let me be very brief. We are preparing for Brazil’s presidency of COP30, of course, following COP29 in Baku, in very close cooperation with Azerbaijan.

The most important area where Brazil and Azerbaijan have aligned on COP issues is the roadmap for the $1.3 trillion climate financing goal. This contribution to climate finance is key, but there are other messages Brazil wants to convey. Holding the conference in Belém highlights not only the importance of the environment but also the value of local knowledge and community practices.

One of our messages is to embrace complexity. We need strong governance and the active contribution of local communities. Sometimes it’s not just scientific knowledge but also community practices that have successfully maintained the environment. The Amazon exists in large part because people live there. Indigenous peoples of the Amazon have practiced sustainable living for centuries without destroying the forest—they coexist with it.

Another message is that we want to move from negotiation to implementation. COP29 concluded with the finalization of chapter six of the Paris Agreement on carbon markets, resolving a long-standing issue in Baku. At COP29, we also tripled climate finance contributions from $100 billion to $300 billion. Now, the goal is to reach $1.6 trillion. Brazil aims to transition from negotiation to concrete implementation.

Many other priorities involve the action plan, including resilience—particularly urban resilience. In a few years, 70% of the global population will live in cities, which have significant impacts on climate change as heat islands, industrial centers, and emission sources. Urban resilience is therefore critical to any action plan.

I mention this because we are working closely with our Ministry of Cities and your Committee on Urban Planning. Next year, Baku will host the World Urban Forum, which will provide an important platform to discuss sustainable cities. This is another key message we want to convey.

– Azerbaijan is implementing major projects in the field of renewable energy. What experiences does Brazil have in this area?

– That’s a strong point for Brazil, and I’m glad you asked about it. We generate electricity and are the sixth-largest producer in the world. While we are the tenth-largest economy, we rank sixth in the energy market. Remarkably, 90% of our electricity comes from renewable sources.

In fact, we have already exceeded our 2030 goal of 84%, producing 90% from renewables today. Over the past 10 years, the share of wind and solar energy has grown from 2% to 24% of total generation. Add that to 56% from hydropower, and Brazil has a very clean energy matrix.

Additionally, we are pioneers in biofuels, particularly ethanol from sugarcane. Gasoline in Brazil is blended with ethanol, or depending on ethanol prices, consumers can choose pure ethanol, as all engines are compatible with both. Of course, electric vehicles are also entering the market.

It’s a large and growing market. We believe best practices can be shared, and joint ventures with Azerbaijan would be highly beneficial, as we are aligned in vision, goals, and technological capacity. Brazil has seen enormous growth, especially in wind and solar technologies, and we are rapidly building further capacity. This is certainly an area for potential collaboration.

Correspondent: Aygun Jarchiyeva

Photo: Ilkin Nabiyev ©️ APA GROUP

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