Brazil, Turkey boost military ties

Brazil and Turkey's defense chiefs vowed Monday to boost military ties and technology transfers between the two emerging nations.

At a meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim and his visiting counterpart Ismet Yilmaz signed a letter of intent formalizing a move to "develop cooperation between the defense industries of both countries, including technology transfer and joint projects."

Yilmaz, at the start of a week-long visit to Brazil, has expressed interest in the South American nation's aerospace technologies, cybernetics and the unmanned aerial craft.

At a leadership meeting in October, the two countries moved toward a closer relationship with vows to boost trade and strengthen ties.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on a visit to Ankara that trade between the two countries stood at US$2 billion in 2011, and Turkey's President Abdullah Gul said the countries have a target of reaching US$10 billion "in a very short period of time."

(AFP)