BRASILIA, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Bulgarian counterpart Gueorgui Parvanov signed cooperation agreements Wednesday on diplomats training and sports between the two countries.

    Lula received at the Planalto Palace the Bulgarian head of state, who is on the first-ever visit by a leader of the European country to Brazil.

    A memorandum of understanding between Brazil's Rio Branco Institute for the Formation of Diplomats and the Diplomatic Institute of the Bulgarian Foreign Business Ministry was signed onthe occasion.

    The agreement provides that professors, researchers and students from both nations will participate in the exchange projects.

    On the other hand, a sports cooperation agreement, signed between the Brazilian Sports Ministry and Bulgaria's Youth and Sports Ministry, covers cooperation in the areas of the handicapped affairs, sports medicine development and doping controls.

    Parvanov expressed his sympathy with Brazil's bid for a permanent seat in the Security Council of the United Nations, and invited Lula to visit Bulgaria.

    Both leaders also pledged to stimulate trade missions between the two countries.

    According to Brazil's Foreign Ministry, the South American country exported 149 million US dollars of goods to Bulgaria and imported 59 millions dollars from that country last year.

    The main Brazilian products exported to Bulgaria were sulphate,iron ore, beef and poultry, while the top Bulgarian products imported by the South American country were phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonium nitrate. Enditem