Speaking in an interview with the STA, De Moura praised diplomatic relations between the countries, saying the countries developed very close ties from the very beginning.

"Since we recognised Slovenia, we had a very close relationship. In the beginning there was a kind of empathy, this has helped a lot since we have very many points in common, not only in the UN and its agencies but also in different fora all over the world."

He stressed many Slovenian officials have since been to Brazil and vice-versa. "So although the embassy has been created in 2008, and Slovenia opened the embassy in Brasilia two years ago, the fact that we now both have physical representation makes a major difference."

Touching on economic cooperation, de Moura said trade has been improving, emphasising the interest of the Slovenian side in discovering new markets. "I have been following very closely the declarations of your foreign minister and some other authorities and I believe Slovenia is trying to open its economy and offers it contacts with other economies," he said.

On bilateral projects, the ambassador highlighted academic cooperation, as part of which Brazil's Foundation Alexandre de Gusmao and Slovenia's Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) will run a joint project to translate two history books into respective languages - "The Land Between: A History of Slovenia" by Oto Luthar and "A Concise History of Brazil" by Boris Fausto.

"This is important because although we are very close, our people don't know each other so well. People to people contact is very important. We would like Slovenians to know a little bit more about Brazil and vice versa."

Another such area is tourism, where de Moura believes both sides could explore further possibilities. "The opportunities are there and Brazilians are travelling much more than they used to. Even here in Ljubljana we bump into Brazilians now and then."

Agreement is also in the works for cooperation in sports, judicial cooperation and defence. The ambassador expects the signing in the coming months.

De Moura also touched on the crisis, saying he hoped Slovenia's government measures would achieve their goals. He stressed however that austerity measures should also be followed by some "other measures, like investment in the economy. We must also pay attention to some social worries that should be taken into consideration".

"Brazil is very worried about the severe troubles of the world economy and the many risks it now presents. Fiscal measures must also be followed by other measures because people also have to survive," de Moura stressed.