Curitiba – This Monday (4th) the Council of Arab Ambassadors to Brazil started a four-day visit to the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. In the morning, the diplomats from Middle Eastern and North African countries participated in a seminar for businessmen at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State (Fiep), in the capital Curitiba. “This coming closer to Arab countries is important, because it encourages business diversification, and we are business-oriented,” said the Fiep vice president Rommel Barion.
He said stronger closer commercial ties between Paraná and the region are being developed since 2006 through a partnership between Fiep and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is backing the ambassadors’ visit and Chamber CEO Michel Alaby is travelling with the delegation. Alaby informed that exports from Paraná to the Middle East and North Africa amounted to US$ 503 million from January to April, and imports reached US$ 54.5 million.
The Council’s dean and Jordanian ambassador to Brazil, Ramez Goussous, stressed that several Arab countries are undergoing reforms that will “turn the region into a great place to invest in.” “There is no chance for economic development without political development,” he said. The so-called Arab Spring caused changes in regimes in nations such as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, and induced political change in others, such as Morocco, Algeria, and Jordan.
Goussous emphasized that out of a trade flow of US$ 25 billion between Brazil and the region in 2011, Paraná accounted for US$ 1.8 billion. He added, however, that business needs to move beyond exports and imports to include a higher volume of investment.
“Many Arab countries offer one-stop-shop systems to eliminate any barrier to investment and to provide legal safety to investors,” said the dean. “We have the opportunity to strengthen our relations in various segments,” he said.
Alaby gave some examples of Brazilian companies that invest in the Arab world and vice versa. One such company is Cofat, a Tunisian enterprise that plans on opening a plant to manufacture wire harness for cars in 2013 in the metropolitan area of Curitiba. The company has been considering and negotiating the plant for years, but now it is finally coming to fruition.
Similarly, the Iraqi ambassador to Brazil, Baker Fattah Hussen, invited “all of the companies from Paraná to participate in the reconstruction” of his country. He said the Iraqi economy grew by 6% last year and that there are many open projects, especially in construction and oil. The diplomat added that Iraq’s current oil output is 2.5 million barrels per day, but the country wants to reach 5 million by 2014.
Along similar lines, the Algerian ambassador Djamel Eddine Bennaoum informed that the country is implementing a major state-funded development project, and that there is keen interest in cooperating with other nations, especially in areas where there might be technology transfers. “Developing countries need cooperation,” he said.
The Sudanese ambassador Abd Elghani Elkarim said he had already been to Paraná three times. “It is time for people from Paraná to visit us too,” he claimed. He explained that Brazilian agribusiness companies are active in his country, but that he is yet to see delegations from Paraná travel to Africa and the Arab world. “Last year we imported US$ 100 million worth of agricultural equipment from the Piracicaba region (in the state of São Paulo),” he said. “The state of Paraná could be our partner in bean, soy and poultry production,” he added. He mentioned the example of the Mato Grosso do Sul state-based group Pinesso, which is involved in agriculture in Sudan.
Tourism
The Palestinian ambassador Ibrahim Alzeben, in turn, declared that the economy of his country is expanding, in spite of the Israeli occupation, and suggested for local tourism operators to further tap into the potential of the so-called Holy Land, which also includes destinations in Jordan and Egypt. “Religious tourism is one of the main sectors in Palestine,” he said. “Through economic development, that ‘headache of the world’ (the situation in the region) will gradually sort itself out,” he said.
The seminar was attended by the state secretary for Tourism, Faisal Saleh, who has Lebanese grandparents. He suggested a schedule of actions to foster bilateral relations, such as trade show for the Arab countries in Foz do Iguaçu, the main tourism destination in the state, and home to a significant share of the local Arab community.
Goussous insisted on tourism promotion. “Brazilian tourists do no travel to the Arab world; they did not before the Arab Spring, and they do not travel after it.” Likewise, the Kuwaiti ambassador Yousef Abdulsamad said many Kuwaiti tourists will visit the far-away Australia, but few will visit Brazil. “I would like them to come to Brazil more often, I would like them to come to this beautiful state, but there needs to be some sort of advertising,” he said.
The Qatari ambassador Jamal Al-Bader added that with its direct Doha-São Paulo flight, Qatar Airways is ready to explore new Brazilian tourist destinations.
Exchange
In the afternoon, the diplomats visited the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), where they were welcomed by the rector Zaki Akel Sobrinho, of Syrian and Lebanese descent, and by the vice-rector Rogério Mulinari.
The conversation revolved mainly around international student and professor exchange. “There is a demand for internationalization,” said Akel, adding that the institution has agreements with European, North and South American, and African universities. “It makes sense to establish strategic partnerships with Arab countries as well,” he said.
Most of the diplomats took interest in the matter, and the talks are likely to move forward. “We could start out with professors and researchers for short periods of time,” said the rector.
The diplomats also met with representatives of the Curitiba-based charity Sociedade Árabe Beneficente de Curitiba, which plans on building a hospital in the city.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
