Renata Giraldi       Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – Last weekend Brazil’s foreign minister, Antonio Patriota, traveled to Turkey where president Dilma Rousseff is scheduled to arrive in October. Turkey has become a central player in the crisis-ridden Middle East (having joined Brazil in an unsuccessful bid to resolve the Iranian nuclear program last year).

Bilateral Brazil-Turkey trade reached over $1.5 billion in the first half of this year and is growing strongly. The two countries’ trade is concentrated in chemicals, home appliances and auto parts.

While he is in Ankara, Patriota will met with the president of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, and the minister of Foreign Relations, Ahmet Davutoğlu.

It is believed that Dilma will travel from Turkey to Bulgaria, the country her father came from and where she has some long lost relatives.

Dilma’s next international trip will be to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week (September 16) where Brazil is traditionally the first nation to address the opening session.

According to Itamaraty, Dilma intends to finish visiting all the countries in South America before the end of the year.

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Patriota chega amanhã à Turquia para preparar visita de Dilma