Brazil has asked its diplomats to help increase exports of weapons made in the South American country as it suffers through one of the country's worst economic crises in decades.

The nation is among the world's largest light arms dealers.

Brazil's foreign ministry sent a letter to its embassies late last year instructing them to promote events and seminars with an eye to increasing the export of products manufactured by the defense ministry.

The Rio de Janeiro think tank Instituto Igarape and Sao Paulo violence prevention group Sou da Paz recently obtained a copy of the eight-page letter through Brazil's Information Access Law.

The Folha de S. Paulo newspaper published excerpts from the letter Sunday. It urges diplomats to help increase sales to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.