RIO DE JANEIRO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Brazil, South America's largest country, from Lima, Peru, for his official visit and to attend the Group of 20 (G20) Summit 2024, where Malaysia is a guest country.
Apart from Malaysia, 16 other countries, including Chile, Qatar, Egypt, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, are guest countries for G20.
The G20 consists of 19 countries and two unions, namely Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, United States, European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU).
The special flight touched down at Rio De Janeiro's Galeão Air Force Base here at 10.24pm, Nov 16 in Brazil (Malaysia time 9.24am, Nov 17).
Anwar is here on the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
On his arrival, the Prime Minister was received with a Guard of Honour by the representative of Galeão Air Force Deputy Commander Lieutenant Colonel Buch Itamaraty and from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Councillor Orlando Timponi.
Other officials present include the Ambassador of Malaysia to Brazil, Gloria Tiwet; the First Secretary of the Embassy of Malaysia, Muhamad Muhaimin Azmi; and the Third Secretary of the Embassy of Malaysia, Anwar Umar Ruszaman.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, is accompanied by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
The Malaysian delegation includes Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Huang Tiong Sii, Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, and other senior Malaysian government officials.
Under Brazil's Presidency, Malaysia has been participating in two significant G20 initiatives, namely the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) and the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB).
During the G20 Leaders' Summit, Anwar will deliver statements on Malaysia's position at the "Fight Against Hunger and Poverty" and "Reform of Global Governance Institutions" sessions.
The prime minister is also scheduled to meet with leaders of G20 countries to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual concern.
In the course of the visit, he will meet with the Brazilian president to discuss bilateral cooperation, including in the areas of trade and investment as well as the semiconductor industry, and to renew the friendship ties between the two countries.
Rio de Janeiro is a vibrant coastal city in Brazil, renowned for its iconic beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema, the towering 38-metre Christ the Redeemer statue atop Mount Corcovado, and the stunning Sugarloaf Mountain, accessible by cable car.
The city is also famous for its vast favelas, or shantytowns, and its world-famous Carnaval festival, a dazzling celebration with elaborate parade floats, colourful costumes, and lively samba dancers—widely regarded as the largest in the world.
In 2023, Brazil was Malaysia's 20th largest trading partner, 29th largest export destination and 17th largest import source.
Among Latin American and Caribbean countries, Brazil is Malaysia's second-largest trading partner, second-largest export destination and largest import source.