As part of one of the most significant steps ever for Australia Brazil trade relations, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, has signed a MoU on Cooperation on Major Sports Events that will facilitate bilateral cooperation on sports and the exchange of knowledge concerning the organization of major international sporting events.
The agreement was a key aspect of a bilateral meeting with Brazil´s Minister of External Relations, Celso Amorim, on December 15. The sport MoU is dedicated to ensuring that hosting major events, namely the World Cup 2014 and Rio 2016 Olympics, will contribute to the strengthening and diversification of local economies and create a durable legacy. Relevant government bodies will now set up a program of visits to share knowledge on preparing infrastructure and services and to boost public support leading up to the Rio Olympics.
The ministers also renewed their commitment to strengthen the links between Australia and Brazil, as expressed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Establishment of an Enhanced Partnership, signed in September, 2010.
Another key outcome of the meeting was an announcement of a MoU to be signed in the first quarter of 2011 between Australia and Brazil’s largest industry bodies, the Australian Industry Group (AIG), which represents over 60,000 companies, and the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo (FIESP) which represents 150,000 companies, promoting cooperation in mutual trade and investment issues.
Rudd and Amorim also discussed the possibility of closer economic linkages between Mercosur countries and Australia and New Zealand.