São Paulo – Ministers of Foreign Relations from Arab and South American countries met last Wednesday (23rd), in New York, on the sidelines of the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations. According to the Brazilian foreign office (Itamaraty), the meeting marked the inauguration of the joint council of foreign ministers from the two blocs, provided for in the Doha Declaration that was passed during the 2nd Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa), held in Qatar in March this year.
The agenda of the meeting included an assessment of the joint efforts carried out thus far, in particular those resulting from the Doha Declaration; the setting of a schedule for future events, including a meeting of high-level officials from governments in both regions, another one geared towards the energy area, and a third one focusing on science and technology; and last of all, the situation of the Palestine.
According to the Itamaraty, all countries in the two regions – 22 Arab and 12 South American ones – sent representatives to the meeting, 14 of which were ministers of Foreign Relations. The Brazilian foreign minister, Celso Amorim, was one of those attending.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
