Lula Arrives in Abu Dhabi After His China Visit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in the UAE today after a two-day visit to China aimed at strengthening economic and diplomatic bilateral ties.

President Lula was welcomed at Abu Dhabi airport by Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. Afterwards, he is expected to meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE is Brazil’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, with trade estimated to be around $4 billion in 2022, a 32 percent increase from 2021.

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On a similar trip to China earlier this week, Lula said Brazil was “returning to the international scene” and offered to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine.

China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, and the two countries, along with Russia, form the main pillars of the BRICS bloc. Both countries have refused to join the postwar trend of Western sanctions against Russia, and both have expressed interest in launching mediation efforts to end the conflict.

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The UAE remains neutral on the conflict in Ukraine. In fact, Dubai has long been a hotspot for its financial hub Dubai has attracted Russian investors and entrepreneurs fleeing Western sanctions.

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On Friday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that nothing could prevent Brazil from maintaining and improving bilateral relations with China.

Lula said at the press conference that Brazil is committed to developing relations with China in various fields such as science and technology, student exchanges, culture, climate change, clean energy, and electric vehicles.