São Paulo – Next Monday evening (31st), the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is honouring ambassador Paulo Cordeiro de Andrade Pinto, the undersecretary-general for the Middle East and Africa at the Brazilian Foreign Office, has been named the Arab Chamber Personality this year. The ceremony will be held at the Jockey Club in São Paulo.
Cordeiro has occupied the post for three years, since the beginning of president Dilma Rousseff’s administration. “Brazil has multifaceted relations with the Arab world; we converse with all of the countries [in the region],” the diplomat told ANBA, noting that out of the 22 countries that comprise the League of Arab States, the only ones with no Brazilian embassies are Yemen, Bahrain, Somalia, the Comoros and Djibouti.
Concerning these “good relations that grow deeper and deeper,” the ambassador mentioned the “huge” increment in trade seen in the past 10 years, but noted that trade volume “still falls short of our possibilities as exporters of products and services.”
As an example, he mentioned countries like Algeria, whose trade balance with Brazil shows a wide surplus on the Algerian side, as well as other countries which have deficits. “We are facing the challenge of seeking more balanced flows,” he said. “There is a vast territory to be conquered,” he said, adding that the Arab Brazilian Chamber is a “very important tool” for projecting Brazil in the region.
As for politics, Cordeiro highlighted a trip he took last February to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza and Amman, where he was able to assess the current state of talks between Israelis and Palestinians, which the United States secretary of state, John Kerry, resumed recently. He believes each of the “players” involved in the process have their own limitations. “Some are very optimistic, but the two main interested parties are faced with challenging issues,” he said.
According to him, said issues include the Palestinians’ claims for right of return for refugees, and the status of Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians both want for their capital. The diplomat said there is a feeling of “anxiety.” “In Palestine they are somewhat, I wouldn’t say incredulous, but it is a very difficult situation. However, they are entering the process in good faith,” he said. “I hope that whoever promotes this process will truly act as mediators,” he said, referring to the USA.
He said Brazil’s position on the matter is widely known: “the creation of two states side by side, with prosperity for both.” The Brazilian government recognizes Palestine as an independent state.
The ambassador’s work in this area is precisely one of the reasons the Arab Brazilian Chamber has decided to honour him. “Ambassador Paulo Cordeiro has worked tirelessly for peace between Israel and Palestine,” said Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO Michel Alaby. Alaby also said the diplomat is very attentive to the requests made by Arab embassies in Brasília, and to visits to Brazil by authorities from the Middle East and North Africa. In April for instance, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and emir of Dubai, Mohammed in Rashid Al-Maktoum, will be in Brasília.
“I am honoured, but I simply perform my duties, I do not require a tribute,” the ambassador said.
Cordeiro commented on other issues which affect the Arab world and the region’s relations with Brazil, either directly or indirectly, like the Arab Spring and the conflict in Syria. “The Arab world is changing. The view that the West had of Arab democratization, from the perspective of the old liberal democracies, only Tunisia seems to be heading in that direction,” he said.
He said Brazilian diplomacy would rather make a long-term assessment of the effects of the Arab Spring. “All of the countries in the region] are changing,” he said.
The diplomat added that the Middle East is “inside us, in a way,” considering the vast numbers of immigrants and descendants living in Brazil, and the influence that this community has on Brazilian society. To him, the community is “a living vector” of the relationship between Arabs and Brazilians.
Cordeiro was born in 1953, in Salvador, Bahia, holds a degree in History and started his diplomatic career in the late 70s. He has since served at various posts in Brazil and abroad, highlighting the Brazilian representations with the UN in Geneva and New York, the latter when Brazil was in the presidency of the Security Council; he was in charge of disarmament issues; he was also ambassador to Haiti and Canada. Cordeiro is married and the father of three sons.
The Arab Chamber Personality award is traditionally presented on March 25th, the day of Arab immigration in Brazil. This year, exceptionally, the ceremony will take place on the 31st to match the date of an Arabian horse race at the Jockey Club. Arabian horse races started taking place again recently at the venue. The trophy for the winner will also be offered by the Arab Brazilian Chamber. “The idea was to do something different this year, and at the same time highlight the Arabian horse,” said Alaby.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum