Building a deeper and more comprehensive relationship with Brazil, said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, is a very high priority for the United States. Brazil is a society that has embraced democracy and also draws on and celebrates its diversity. Its growing economy is bringing millions out of poverty and into the middle class while creating world-class companies.
Brazil's remarkable economic growth offers new possibilities for the U.S.-Brazil partnership - through trade, investment and a common commitment to education and innovation. The U.S. already enjoys substantial cooperation with Brazil in the area of biofuels, where our two countries are the world leaders. The U.S. government and private sector stand ready to work with Brazilians as they develop their natural resources, such as oil and gas.
Bilateral trade in goods between the U.S. and Brazil set a new record of over $74 billion last year, and our economic relationship has the potential to grow even more. In an effort to promote greater scientific, cultural and business ties, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched Science Without Borders, a program that aims to send 101,000 aspiring Brazilian scientists and researchers to U.S. and foreign universities. This initiative complements President Barack Obama's 100,000 Strong in the Americas goal to increase academic exchanges between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean.
On the global scene, there are increasing opportunities for Brazil and the United States to work together, as highlighted by our increased trilateral cooperation in diverse areas such as food security, agricultural biotechnology, and counternarcotics. The G-20 is an important international economic forum for both countries, and the U.S. welcomes Brazil's leadership in internal fora, as highlighted by its hosting of the United Nations conference on Sustainable Development.
Brazil embraces democracy, human rights, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and commitment to racial, ethnic, and gender equality - values it shares with the United States. These shared commitments and shared responsibilities have led the U.S. and Brazil to partner to provide assistance to other countries, such as Haiti, and to collaborate on food security in Mozambique and Ghana.
There has never been a time, said Deputy Secretary Burns, when the "cooperation between Brazil and the United States mattered more to progress in this Hemisphere and around the world. And never has there been a moment when Brazilians and Americans had more to gain from partnership or more to do together to shape the future we share."
Building a deeper and more comprehensive relationship with Brazil, said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, is a very high priority for the United States.