‘City Filled With Lights’: Rajnath Singh Welcomes Brazilian Defence Minister, Hails Strategic Ties

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday welcomed his Brazilian counterpart, José Múcio Monteiro Filho, to New Delhi, describing his visit as well-timed with India’s festive season.

“I must say that you are travelling to India during the festive season, and we are celebrating our auspicious festival Diwali in a few days. You shall witness the city filled with lights and all places beautifully decorated,” Singh said during their meeting. “This is the time of festivities in India. It starts from Dusshera and Deepavali and goes on till March with Holi, the festival of colours.”

Singh lauded Brazil’s growing partnership with India, particularly in defence cooperation and youth engagement. “I have learned that the Vice President is a medical practitioner

himself. That is indeed an added qualification for a seasoned leader in politics,” he said, adding that Brazil’s participation in the upcoming Youth Exchange Program during the Republic Day celebrations would be “a very enriching experience for the young minds to participate in the National Cadet Corps Camp.”

During the discussions, the Brazilian Defence Minister highlighted expanding collaboration in the defence and space sectors, saying, “The recent memorandum of understanding on the defence industry is currently in the process of being signed, which seeks to expand collaboration in the development, production and trade of defence products.”

He further noted that the upcoming Brazil-India Defence Industry Dialogue in Santos would “consolidate and expand this exchange” and acknowledged India’s space expertise, citing the launch of Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite from Indian soil as a “milestone” in bilateral cooperation.

The meeting reaffirmed the two nations’ commitment to strengthening ties across defence, technology, and strategic domains.