São Paulo – Brazil and Oman celebrated Wednesday (19) at a cocktail party in Brasília the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Arab ambassador to Brasília, Talal Sulaiman Al Rahbi, the relation is marked by shared views on international affairs, and increasing trade and mutual investments.
The two countries “have a lot of business and investment dealing. First of all, we have Vale – the largest Brazilian company – having a huge investment in Oman, [an iron ore pelletizing plant at the SOHAR Port, which] is the largest in the Middle East,” Al-Rahbi told ANBA on Thursday (20). “Now they are planning the second plant in Oman. Their operation in Oman started as a co-investment with Omani investment. And now, it is hundred-percent owned by Vale, which exports to the region. It is one of the most successful investments we have in the country,” he said.
Adding that the trade between the two countries has increased to around USD 2 billion annually, Al-Rahbi said he hopes to increase mutual investment for the next few years through an agreement to establish a joint investment fund. He said that ministries from the two countries have held a series of meetings, and a joint committee meeting is expected to be held in Omani capital Muscat sometime this year, chaired by Brazilian foreign affairs minister Mauro Vieira and Omani commerce and industry minister Qais Mohammed Al Yousef.
More projects between Oman and Brazil
The partnership between the two “neutral, peaceful” countries that work toward “promoting peace” is also on a cultural level, the ambassador said, adding that a cooperation between the national museums of the two countries will soon link artists from both of them to develop works to promote and manifest the relationship between the two countries.
“I’m optimistic that in the coming years, we will witness larger investment between the two countries, but also strengthen the relationship between Oman and Brazil,” he said.
Brazil’s tourism minister Celso Sabino attended the dinner. He pointed out he was in Muscat to participate in May’s Made in Brazil Expo Muscat, an event to promote the South American giant in the Arab country and exchange information between the two of them. The Ministry reported that Sabino said, “When I was in Oman, I noticed that beyond the beautiful sites, its people is very affectionate, welcoming and considerate with tourists, particularly from Brazil. We’ve worked to expand this tourism, especially with this new Brazil that’s economically, socially and politically stable. Long live the friendship between Brazil and Oman.”
The cocktail party held at the embassy was attended by Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arab diplomats, Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) CEO & secretary-general Tamer Mansour, Fambras Halal chairman Mohamed Zoghbi, and businesspeople.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
