New Delhi, June 3:

Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived here today on a three-day long state visit that is set to energise strategic and economic ties between two continent-size countries and firm up cooperation on global issues like UN reforms, climate change and multilateral trade talks.

Lula flew in here from London with around 100 businessmen, ministers and senior officials in what is being billed as ‘the most important visit’ the Brazilian leader is making this year to underline the burgeoning ties between the two countries that may be continents apart but are growing closer in spirit.

With India and Brazil making it to the exclusive club of trillion dollar econ-omies, the accent of Lula’s visit is on promoting more business and investment between the two countries.

The launch of a CEOs forum tomorrow, comprising 15 top corporate honchos from each side, with the Indian side led by steel tycoon Ratan Tata and Brazilian side led by Petrobras boss Jose Sergio Gabrielli, is the key highlight of Lula’s visit to India.

Quadrupling bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2010 and promoting Brazilian investment in India’s expanding infrastructure are focus areas of Lula’s economic diplomacy in India - his second visit to the country in three years.

Lula will hold talks with premier Manmohan Singh on a wide array of bilateral, regional and global issues tomorrow and interact wi-th the newly-launched India-Brazil CEOs forum. A slew of agreements to boo-st economic, energy and cultural cooperation, including an extradition tre-aty, are expected to be inked by two leaders.