Foreign Minister Peter David says the Brazilian government will be opening an embassy in Grenada during 2009 as part of efforts to strengthen and deepen bilateral relations. "Embassies and foreign missions are about national development and we are going to use this opportunity to build upon the relationship with Brazil, which is one of the emerging economies in this part of the world that we stand to benefit from significantly," said David. The Brazilian government has already appointed an Ambassador to Grenada, with the opening of the Embassy slated for the first quarter of next year. At present, Grenada's Ambassador in Caracas is also accredited as the island's non-resident diplomat to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. Regarded as one of the world's largest economies both in terms of market exchange rates and purchasing power, Brazil has taken on new international prominence owing to recent economic reforms. In addition to improving ties with its powerful South American neighbour, David said in the coming year Grenada also plans to strengthen its bilateral relations with countries in Africa and Asia.̉There are many new emerging economies that we need to approach to enhance our bilateral relations and many countries in Asia and Africa are now being labelled as emerging economies so it will do us well to build a relationship with them," he said. Reprinted from jamaica-gleaner.com