RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday agreed to strengthen bilateral ties in technology, security, defense and agriculture.
Bolsonaro and Netanyahu met at the Copacabana Fort in Rio de Janeiro just hours after Netanyahu landed in Brazil for the first-ever visit by an Israeli prime minister to the South American country.
At a joint press conference later, Bolsonaro said he plans to travel to Israel in March to negotiate technological cooperation agreements in the areas of agriculture, security, military and fishing, as part of "a policy of great partnership with the state of Israel."
Bolsonaro, who takes office on Jan. 1, said "we begin a difficult government starting January, but Brazil has the potential ... to overcome obstacles. In part, we need good allies, good friends, good brothers, as is the case with Benjamin Netanyahu."
Netanyahu expressed his willingness to deepen ties, and highlighted the historic aspect of his trip.
The fraternal ties between the two countries are real and "could take us very far," Netanyahu said, adding "Israel is the promised land and Brazil is the promised land of the future."
Netanyahu is scheduled to attend Bolsonaro's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, and is expected to also meet with Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Bolsonaro had earlier said he plans to move Brazil's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as the United States did, but made no mention of the controversial decision at the press conference.
