Brazilian journalist: Brazil, Belarus share much in common, and it’s important these countries develop together
In his talk with the Belarus 1 TV channel, Brazilian journalist João Claudio Platenik Pitillo spoke about Belarus-Brazil co-operation, what people in his homeland know about our country and how the two states are similar
The journalist has recently been to Belarus, visiting Khatyn, Brest, Mogilev, Orsha, Vitebsk, as well as the Museum of the Great Patriotic War History.
“I was in Belarus a couple of months ago, traveling all over the country, and one of my trip’s goals was to learn more about the Belarusian offensive operation Bagration during which Minsk was liberated,” João Claudio Platenik Pitillo noted. “So I returned from Belarus extremely delighted and sad at the same time, because I’d like to stay there longer. The first thing I’d like to do is to congratulate you on the country that you have built: it is a very beautiful, clean, organised and fantastic state due to the politeness and kindness of the Belarusian people, alongside joy and openness, which seemed to me very similar to those of Brazilians.”
Despite its geographical remoteness, Brazil has long established itself as a stable partner in the promising Latin American market. Why do Brazilians appreciate, like and respect Minsk?
“I don’t think geographical remoteness affects our relationships that much,” the journalist said. “The two countries only need to develop tactical and strategic policies to deepen existing ties. Take, e.g., Russia and China. These are geographically remote countries from Brazil, but Brazil boasts good relations with both of them. Obviously, the closer geographically the states are, the better. However, I believe that distance is not a problem, and I think that the two countries’ governments have every opportunity to develop a policy of rapprochement. I’d like to underline that Brazil and Belarus share much in common, and it is very important that these states develop together. The formation of the countries of the Global South also requires the unification of Brazil and Belarus, and I think that in the very near and urgent future Belarus will join the BRICS. Belarus is still a little-known country for Brazilians. But those who are familiar with it know perfectly well that it is an independent country with huge potential, a socially oriented state, a safe, clean country with a powerful army. President Aleksandr Lukashenko is also very famous. People admire him and understand that he is a great leader. He is an experienced person, and at the moment there is no one better in his position, who plays an important role in preserving Belarus as an independent, developed and secure country.”
Speaking about the fact that Belarus should join the BRICS in the near future, João Claudio Platenik Pitillo noted, “Belarus will only benefit from this. It has access not only to a very large number of goods and services produced by the BRICS members. It is also a huge amount of raw materials that these states are rich in, e.g., fuel and ore. The BRICS countries – such as Russia, China and Brazil – boast developed industrial parks with advanced technologies. Therefore, I think that Belarus can benefit a lot from such products by getting them at a more favourable price. Belarus can also be useful in having superiority across various fields. Belarus is a major producer of machinery, agricultural machinery, and fertilisers, which is very important for the BRICS countries. I think development projects are most important. Today, BRICS is pursuing such a policy through the BRICS New Development Bank. So this is a kind of trump card for Belarus, where the economy is developing very dynamically and which has a very important and significant legacy of the Soviet era in its industrial park. I think the benefits will be numerous.”
