Modi said in the meeting with Lula that India and Brazil are not "neutral countries" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but countries interested in maintaining peace in the world.  | Photo: Twitter @choquei

Hiroshima, May 21 (RHC)-- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have agreed to strengthen their bilateral relations during a meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, the first between the two dignitaries.

Modi and Lula, who are participating as guests at the Group of Seven (G7) Summit that ends this Sunday in the Japanese city, discussed the strategic partnership of the two countries.  They also examined ways to strengthen it, mainly in the sectors of defense production, trade, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, dairy and livestock, as well as biofuels and clean energy.

Modi said in the meeting with Lula that India and Brazil are not "neutral countries" in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but countries interested in maintaining peace in the world.  The Indian prime minister also spoke about his interest in working with Brazil in seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict. After the meeting, Lula tweeted, "we are on the side of peace."

Unlike the G7 member countries, India and Brazil are neutral and do not endorse sanctions against Russia. 

Trade between the two countries was also a topic of the meeting. "Countries of major importance for the design of a new global geopolitics," said Lula.