São Paulo – Brazil is sitting in as an observer member at the World Islamic Economic Forum, which started this Tuesday (7th) and will continue until Thursday (9th) in Astana, Kazakhstan. President Dilma Rousseff was invited to attend, but sent ambassador Maria Edileuza Fontenele Reis to the event instead. Created in 2005, the World Islamic Economic Forum (Wief) is held annually to promote closer ties between Islamic countries, and between those and the non-Muslim world.
The Wief figures in the calendar of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The participation of Brazil in the organization is recent, and is still pending the issuing of a bill within the OIC. The opportunity for Brazil to join came up last year, when the secretary general, Ekmeleddin Ihsan Oglo, visited the then-minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim. On May 16th this year, the Brazilian ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, Sergio Luiz Canaes, submitted a bid to the OIC secretary general in order for Brazil to join.
According to the Itamaraty, the main objective of Brazil at the OIC is to establish closer ties with the Muslim world, including the Arab nations. Still according to the minister of Foreign Relations, Brazil may be a partner of Islamic countries in the fight against intolerance, after all, to the ministry, Brazil is a multi-ethnic country where races lead a conflict-free coexistence. Aside from Brazil, Russia, Thailand, the Central African Republic, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina participate in the OCI as observer members.
Initially, according to the Itamaraty, there is no intention to attract businessmen or sign contracts in this edition of the forum, which is receiving Brazil for the first time ever. Starting in the second half of the year, as the entry of Brazil to the OCI is fully established, the country may go about seeking trade partners.
The World Islamic Economic Forum emerged in 2003, during the economic forum of the OCI in Putrajaya, Malaysia. It started being held as an independent event in 2005, in Kuala Lumpur, and has been hosted by other countries, such as Jordan. This year’s edition will include talks on marketing, food security, industrialization and experience exchange among businessmen and government officials.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
