Bangladesh and Brazil have signed an agreement on visa exemption marking the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP who is on a four-day maiden official visit to Brazil signed the agreement on the exemption of visa for diplomatic and official passport holders on the 50 years of Bangladesh-Brazil diplomatic relations. Foreign Minister of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França signed the agreement on behalf of the Brazilian government, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. A high-profile business delegation led by the President of FBCCI Jashim Uddin and the representatives of the Bangladesh-Brazil Chamber of Commerce (BBCC) accompanied the State Minister during the visit. On Monday, the State Minister delivered a lecture for the trainee diplomats at the Rio Branco institute (Foreign Services Academy of Brazil) in Brasília. More than 100 guests comprising high officials from the host government, Ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society, trainee diplomats, journalists along with members of FUNAG (Research Institute for International Relations) attended the event. Instituto Rio Branco is a ‘’state of the art’’ training center for diplomats from Brazilian and other parts of the world. Giving an overview of struggle for independence, the State Minister highlighted how the charismatic leader Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the nation to have the right to speak in its mother tongue and later the war for independence in 1971. Stressing the geo-strategic importance of Bangladesh, he explained how Bangladesh is connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia for a greater economic feat.