São Paulo – Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro expects to welcome four leaders from Arab countries in Brasília later this year. So said Bolsonaro in a video-recorded participation in the opening ceremony of the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries on Monday (4), when he added that Brazil-Arab relations have strengthened in the current landscape of seeking out solutions for food security and fertilizer supply.
The president said that the government has worked for welcoming to Brazil Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Bahraini king Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and the new president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan. As an example of the commitment between Arab and Brazilian governments, Bolsonaro pointed out that the Saudi Foreign minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud visited Brasília last November and that he himself and his minister have recently visited the Arab countries.
“I was the first Brazilian president ever to visit the Gulf region twice during the same tenure. On my last trip, I opened a new embassy in Bahrain. We now have 18 diplomatic representations in the 22 countries that make up the Arab League,” he said. He mentioned the trips of Strategic Affairs secretary Flávio Rocha to nine Arab countries and Agriculture, Livestock and Supply minister Marcos Montes to three Arab countries earlier this year.
According to Bolsonaro, Brazil-Arab ties are getting stronger. “Not even in the face of the challenges ushered in by the pandemic we’ve stopped playing our role in food supply,” he said. According to the president, the Arab world is now Brazil’s third largest international market, and the trade flow set a new record high at USD 24 billion last year, climbing to USD 5.2 billion year to date through April from USD 4 billion a year ago.
Bolsonaro said that 26% of the fertilizers that now supply Brazilian agribusiness come from the Arab world and that last year, in Africa, Algeria was Brazil’s leading trade partner, Egypt is the top destination of exports from Brazil, and Morocco is the premier supplier of the Brazilian market as our third largest fertilizer supplier.
The Brazilian president also said the amount of investments from Arab funds in Brazil is close to USD 20 billion. “The Arab funds have become a major source of capital for our country,” he said. According to him, the Brazilian participation in the world exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai that took place from 2021 to 2022 in the United Arab Emirates, enabled an estimated investment of USD 10 billion.
Bolsonaro said that the government plans to enter into agreements with the Arab countries that facilitate investments and avoid double taxation, in addition to agreements via Mercosur. “The results achieved by the Mercosur-Egypt agreement inspire other initiatives such as the negotiations started with the UAE,” he told the audience.
Arab community
Bolsonaro ended his participation in the event talking about the size of the Arab community in Brazil. “We have in our country the largest Arab community outside the Middle East and North Africa. There are over 10 million people that are integrated to our society and part of our cultural and human richness,” he said. He congratulated the ABCC for its 70th anniversary and for holding the forum. “Of great relevance to dialogue between our countries and to strengthening our trade ties,” he said on the event that celebrates the 70th anniversary of the ABCC.
The Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries is held by the ABCC in partnership with the Union of Arab Chambers, supported by the League of Arab States and sponsored by Travel Plus, Brazil Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), Fambras Halal, Embraer, Itaipu Technology Park, Pantanal Trading, Embratur, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), Cdial Halal, Modern Living, BRF, Egyzone/Am Development, Antika/Openet BV, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Egyptian Financial & Industrial Co. (EFIC), Suez Company for Fertilizers Production (SCFP), Boa Esperança Agriculture Cooperative (CAPEBE), Prima Foods, and Afrinvest.
Here’s more on the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
