Governor Deval Patrick today welcomed Governor of Minas Gerais, Brazil Antonio Anastasia for a meeting and conversation with delegation members of the 2011 Massachusetts Brazil Innovation Mission.

The visit served as an opportunity to foster new and existing economic and cultural ties between Massachusetts and Brazil – the sixth largest economy in the world.

Today’s event marks the second official visit from a Brazilian elected official since the 2011 Massachusetts Brazil Innovation Mission. In April, Governor Patrick welcomed President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff to the State House. 

The visit is part of an ongoing effort by the Patrick-Murray Administration to develop the Commonwealth’s economic relationship with Brazil.

Framingham is home to the largest Brazilian population in New England and one of the largest in America.

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the second most populous state in Brazil, the third by Gross Domestic Product and the fourth largest by area in the country.

The majority of the Brazilian population in Massachusetts comes from Minas Gerais

In December 2011, Governor Patrick led a multi-sector economic development mission to Brazil.

While there, the Governor participated in business development programs including a groundbreaking for EMC’s “big data” research center at Federal University in Rio de Janeiro and a meeting between Endeavor Brazil and MassChallenge startups. The Governor also participated in the announcement of the partnership between Massachusetts-based Akamai Technologies and television company Sky, and an agricultural partnership between UMass-Amherst and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.

The trade mission also focused on the importance of education and workforce development, including a growing exchange program between TOP USA-Massachusetts that will include faculty and students from Brazilian universities and American institutions, including the UMass system.

Massachusetts and Brazil are close trade partners. In 2011, Massachusetts exported approximately $457 million in goods and services to Brazil, with approximately $127 million worth of goods and services imported from Brazil.