São Paulo – The Syrian minister of Expatriates, Joseph Sweed, said yesterday (06), in a meeting with the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, that the government of his country plans to promote in 2010 the Year of South America in Syria, as part of an initiative to bring together the Arab and South American countries. "There will be joint activities in several areas," said Sweed to ANBA.
According to the minister, Syria sees the presence of Arab immigrants and their descendants in South America, and especially in Brazil, "as of vital important". According to him, the South Americans of Arab origin have a "heavy weight" in the region, both in terms of quantity and in quality, occupying important positions in several areas.
Apart from that, his country plans to expand relations and cooperation with the South American nations and to make use of the Syrian community in the region to reach this objective. He recalled that in late March the second Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa) took place, in Doha, Qatar, and said that Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad personally made an effort for it to be successful. "We have different relations with South America and Brazil, and we must take great care of their maintenance," said the minister to the mayor.
"For all of this, 2010 will be the Year of South America in Syria," said Sweed. "The activities are going to involve culture and economics. One of the objectives of the trip is discussion of ideas with the Syrian colony and important institutions with regard to these activities, taking into consideration that the residents know more of what we have to do," he added. The minister is travelling around South America. Apart from visiting Brazil, he has already been to Venezuela and Argentina, and should later head to Chile.
One of the institutions that Sweed considers important is the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, which he visited yesterday evening. "The Chamber is one of the most prominent Arab institutions in Brazil and collaborates actively in the improvement of relations between Arabs and Brazilians," he said.
According to him, the organisation does not serve solely as a trade bridge, but also as a link for cultural connection and connection of civilizations. "And Syria is proud of the Arab Brazilian Chamber being presided by one of its descendants," he said, referring to Salim Taufic Schahin, who is of Syrian origin. To Sweed, expatriates and their children and grandchildren are "true ambassadors of Syria and of the Arab world" abroad.
To Kassab, the minister said that his country currently has a population of around 22 million inhabitants and that there are over 18 million people of Syrian origin spread throughout the world, mainly in South America and in Brazil. He pointed out that immigrants and descendants have not cut their connections with their origins, although they also actively interact in their new countries.
The mayor, whose grandparents were Arab, said he hopes to have the opportunity to visit Syria. He has been travelling to promote the city of São Paulo abroad and visited Lebanon this year. Today (7), Kassab embarks towards Japan and then to South Korea.
The International Relations secretary at the City Hall, Alfredo Cotait Neto, also of Arab origin, said that he travelled to Syria four years ago and explained that when he visited the public markets he recalled 25th March Street, a shopping street in central São Paulo that was colonized by Arab immigrants.
At the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Schahin pointed out that the organisation is preparing an agenda together with each of the Arab embassies in Brazil "to learn what they need to expand bilateral business". According to him, the institution also works together with the Brazilian ambassadors in the Arab world to foster relations in the areas of trade, tourism and investment. "Not forgetting the importance of culture in these relations," he said.
Apart from Schahin, at the Chamber, the minister met the Foreign Relations vice president, Helmi Nasr, the secretary general, Michel Alaby, and directors Mustapha Abdouni and Sami Roumieh. Also present were the consul general of Syria to São Paulo, Ghazi Deeb, and the metropolitan orthodox archbishop, Damaskinos Mansour.
*Translated by Mark Ament
