Russian cosmonauts congratulated Brazil on the 200th anniversary of the country's independence

On Thursday, September 7, Brazil celebrated the 200th anniversary of its independence from Portugal. On this occasion the ISS cosmonauts represented by Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov congratulated the people of the country, recording a video message from space.

"Dear Brazilian friends, on behalf of the International Space Station crew and Roscosmos State Corporation, let me congratulate you on a momentous date for all Brazilian people, the 200th anniversary of Brazil's independence," said Oleg Artemyev.

"The years that have passed have best shown the wisdom of the Brazilian people who chose the path of freedom and independence. This historic event has remained a symbol of Brazil's free development. Brazil is confidently building a worthy future for its people and is consistently strengthening its position in the international community," added Matveev.

Sergey Korsakov spoke about cooperation between Russia and Brazil in the space sector.

"There are almost 200 years of official state relations between our countries. The first official contacts at the diplomatic level were established on 3 October, 1828. Today, Russia and Brazil actively cooperate in the study and peaceful exploration of outer space. A vivid example of this cooperation was the flight of a Brazilian cosmonaut on a Brazilian Soyuz spacecraft in April 2006," the cosmonaut said.

"In the future, our countries will have to implement even more ambitious projects in the space field," summed up Oleg Artemyev.

As you may recall, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the country's independence a reception was held at the Brazilian Embassy in Moscow.

Photo: Roscosmos