São Paulo – In the 3rd Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa), to take place from February 12th to 16th, in Lima, the capital of Peru, the government of Brazil hopes to proceed with economic, social, environmental and cultural agreements with the Arab nations. This is the first multilateral meeting that president Dilma Rousseff should participate in as the head of state.
In the economic scope, Brazil plans to advance in talks for trade agreements between the Mercosur and Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the bloc that includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman. Currently, Egypt is the only Arab country to have a free trade agreement with the South American bloc.
According to the head of the department for Interregional Mechanisms at the Itamaraty, Gilberto Moura, trade between Brazil and the Arab countries has been growing significantly, as has the interest of these countries in investing in Brazil too. He recalled that bilateral trade between both regions in 2005, when the first Aspa took place, rose from US$ 10.5 billion to US$ 19.54 billion last year.
To grant an opportunity to Arab and South American businessmen, on the 15th there should be a bi-regional business forum. Moura adds that the distance between both regions has reduced with the direct flights between São Paulo and Dubai, in the Emirates, and Doha, in Qatar. "We have been studying ways to develop this aerial and maritime connection (for products) to bring both regions closer together," said the diplomat.
In the week of the summit, the government of Brazil hopes to sign cooperation agreements in the environmental and science and technology areas, mainly to help the Arab countries in the fight against desertification and in solutions for water resources, like desalination of sea water and dam systems.
In the social plan, the country plans to progress with actions for cooperation. Last year, for example, the Arab and South American ministers in the Social area approved a plan for cooperation at a meeting promoted in Brasília, where the creation of an internet site to bring together best practices in both regions was approved. "We want to improve and develop new partnerships," said Moura.
In the cultural area, a memorandum of understanding is being negotiated between the Library and Centre of South American and Arab Research (BibliAspa) and Qatar Foundation, a Qatari organisation turned to education. In 2010, BibliAspa established an agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) to promote the cultural activity of the library.
Still in this area, three cultural awards will be handed out, one for literature, another for cinema and the third for music. Those awarded at the 3rd Aspa will be the Brazilian writer of Lebanese origin, Milton Hatoum, Egyptian movie director Youssef Chahine, deceased at age 82, in 2008, and Colombian singer Shakira, who is also of Lebanese descent.
In celebration of the 130 years of Arab immigration to South America, another edition of exhibition Amirk will be promoted, with pictures showing the arrival and influence of the Arab people in South America.
*Translated by Mark Ament
