São Paulo – A meeting between heads at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the new Foreign Minister of Brazil, Luiz Aberto Figueiredo Machado, sealed the continuation of the partnership between the organisation and the ministry. Machado was inaugurated in August this year and met, on Wednesday (23), in Brasília, with the organisation’s president, Marcelo Sallum, with CEO Michel Alaby, director Sylvio Wagih Abdalla Júnior and former ambassador of Jordan and advisor to the organisation’s president, Ramez Goussous.
At the meeting, the minister showed himself prepared to continue working with the organisation for the ties between Brazil and the Arab countries. “He showed himself open,” said Alaby. The minister should visit the institution, in São Paulo, and use the Arab Brazilian Chamber as a meeting point with representatives of the Arab community in the country. He should also promote a meeting with ambassadors in Brasília. Sallum asked Machado for support to Arab countries that are living political turmoil.
The heads at the Arab Brazilian Chamber proposed that Machado promote a delegation to Morocco and Algeria, early next year, and spoke about the Arab Week, to be promoted in Brasília, between November 29th and December 1st, to include a seminar organized by the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brasília, the National Confederation of Industries (CNI) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber. The meeting was also attended by minister Rodrigo de Azeredo Santos, director of the Commercial Promotion and Investment Department at the Itamaraty, and by minister Carlos Martins Ceglia, head of the Middle East Department. There was also a separate meeting with Santos.
The group also met with the president of the Lower House, Henrique Eduardo Alves, with congressman Ricardo Izar and with congressman Ângelo Agnolin. The heads at the Arab Brazilian Chamber discussed a series of themes with the three politicians. To congressman Alves, they asked for Lower House approval of agreements between the Mercosur, Egypt and Palestine, currently on hold, and spoke about talks regarding trade agreements between the Mercosur and Morocco, Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), currently on hold.
Also according to Alaby, the need for an agreement for reciprocal protection of investment between Brazil and the Arabs was also discussed. “To protect Brazilian investment abroad and Arab investment here,” said Alaby. Another theme discussed was the need for a treaty to end dual taxing on business operations, like the Income Tax on profits, among others. Brasil, according to Alaby, already has agreements to avoid said taxing with a series of other countries, including Turkey.
Congressman Ângelo Agnolin should participate in a seminar to be promoted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber in Dubai, in November, prior to building sector fair Big 5. He should also visit the fair itself, which will include Brazilian companies. Some of the topics to be covered with the congressmen were also covered at the Foreign Ministry.
*Translated by Mark Ament
