São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce was celebrated on Friday (29) at the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo for the 60 years since its establishment, on July 2, 1952. The ceremony was an initiative of representative Fernando Capez, who is of Arab origin and was marked by the release of postage stamps in honour of the event.
“The Arab Brazilian Chamber is recognised for its great credibility and important operation as the only renowned representative of commercial interests of the Arabs [in Brazil],” said Capez. “You do not celebrate your 60th anniversary without having effective participation in trade and cultural exchange between both nations. But my eyes are on what we can do from now on,” he said.
In his address, Walid Yazigi, the chairman of the board at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, pointed out that the organisation, as a “partner of the Itamaraty, of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and of chambers of commerce in Arab countries, is being respected and admired by authorities and Brazilian and Arab businessmen.”
“This is a well-deserved celebration of the Chamber by the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo and the Brazilian Postal Service. Few chambers of commerce in São Paulo have been in operation for so long,” said Yazigi in an interview.
“Now we have another 60 years ahead of us,” said Rubens Hannun, Marketing vice president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, in his address. “The Chamber is getting ready for the next 60 years. We are investing in technology and human resources to face new challenges ahead,” he added.
In an interview, Hannun pointed out that the celebration “is a great victory”. “The Chamber is on a rising path, consistently. There is much to celebrate,” he said.
At the ceremony, Yazigi and Hannun post-market the stamp in the company of Eugênio da Silva, joint regional director of the Postal Service in São Paulo.
To Michel Alaby, CEO at the organisation, it is “a mark for our city, our state and Brazil”. “This event has come to please and allow us, in future, to have the chamber much closer to communities in Brazil and in the Arab countries,” he pointed out.
“The Chamber is a Brazilian organisation that prides itself of its Arab origin. There have been 60 years of work and much growth, mainly in recent years,” said Bechara Ibrahim, a director at the institution.
“The 60 years are really a marker, right at a moment in which things are complicated. We are providing all the necessary support for the events in the countries there to become something good, long-lasting, for there to be effective peace among all peoples,” said Ruy Curi, also a director at the organisation.
The event included the presence of former Arab Brazilian Chamber president Orlando Sarhan and directors Elias Haddad, Nahid Chicani, Toufic Sleiman, Fábio Kadi and Mohamed Abdouni Neto, apart from collaborators, Arab community representatives, diplomats and other authorities.
*Translated by Mark Ament
