São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) held a farewell lunch for Ibrahim Salem Alalawi, who concluded his term as consul general of the United Arab Emirates to São Paulo. The event took place this Tuesday (29) and was attended by authorities and board members of the ABCC.
To ABCC president ambassador Osmar Chohfi, the diplomat brought experience and support to the institution in the years he carried out his mission in Brazil. “We are not saying goodbye to a consul, but a friend. We want to congratulate you on your work and success in São Paulo. In addition to creating a professional bond, it brought more human elements,” said Chohfi.
At the Miski restaurant in São Paulo, the president of the ABCC delivered a plaque in honor of the diplomat. “I really want to thank our relationship between the ABCC and the Consulate. And as they say in Latin, ‘words fly;’ we want to give something concrete,” Chohfi pointed out.
Alalawi was in office at the UAE Consulate General in São Paulo for five years. “I thank the ABCC and every one of the board members. This is my last day in São Paulo, and this event crowns my journey. Ever since I arrived, the ABCC has welcomed me very well. I was one who helped open the ABCC’s office in Dubai,” he said. The organization opened its first international office in the emirate in 2019.
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The diplomat now returns to Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital city. Alalawi remembers, in his years in Brazil, he worked in several fields, such as economics and society. “The ABCC trusted my work. I’m proud of it. We will keep in contact in the future. Our doors are open,” he concluded.
The Consulate General of the UAE to São Paulo informed ANBA the name of the diplomat who will take the position left by Alalawi has not yet been made official.
Besides Chohfi, also from the ABCC, were International Relations vice president Mohamad Mourad, Marketing vice president Riad Younes, director-treasurer Nahid Chihcani, and secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour. ABCC’s directors Arthur Jafet, Claudia Yazigi, Silvia Antibas, William Atui, and Guidance and Deliberation Board members Walid Yazigi and Rubens Hannun also participated in the tribute.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
