São Paulo – The Brazil-Arab Countries Parliamentary Group was established this Thursday (5) in Brasília, Distrito Federal. These groups are associations of parliamentarians that work to strengthen the relations between the Brazilian Congress and the parliament of one or more foreign countries. For now, the initiative brings together 31 senators and eight congresspeople and is supported by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
Arab Chamber secretary-general Tamer Mansour (pictured, third from the R) attended the ceremony in the Federal Senate. “The parliamentary front represents an important step. It shows the importance of the Arab countries for the parliamentarians of several states. The goal is that this parliamentarian group creates a governmental umbrella for the private sector to develop more strategic partnerships in both the Arab countries and Brazil,” he told ANBA.
The resolution that implemented the Brazil-Arab Countries Parliamentarian Group says that the Interparliamentary cooperation service was established to boost and develop bilateral relations between the countries’ legislative powers as well as contributing to problem analysis, understanding, referral and solution. “The idea is that the Arab Chamber be part of this workgroup, providing ideas and action plans that can be useful for Brazil-Arab world economic relations,” Mansour stressed.
The event agenda featured the accession of members, the board election and inauguration, and the deliberation of rules of procedures. The occasion saw the election of the group’s chairman senator Jean Paul Prates (PT-RN), first vice-chairwoman congresswoman Angela Amin (PP-SC), and first secretary senator Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA. As for the advisory board, the chairman is congressman Arnaldo Jardim (Cidadania-SP) and vice-chairman is senator Paulo Rocha (PT-PA).
Palestine’s ambassador and dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil, Ibrahim Alzeben, and representations of the Federation of Muslims Associations In Brazil (FAMBRAS) as well as senator Esperidião Amin (PP-SC) attended the event this Thursday. The official launch of the group will run on March 18 in the Noble Salon of the Senate.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
