São Paulo – Brazil wants to cooperate to minimise crises in the Arab world. For such, the country is willing to aid in the implementation of agricultural, energy generation and water management programmes. The information was supplied by the spokesman for the Brazilian foreign ministry (Itamaraty), Tovar Nunes, referring to talks between the Brazilian minister of Foreign Relations, Antônio Patriota, and foreign authorities during his visit to the United States and Italy last week.
The main target countries of the cooperation would be Egypt and Tunisia, because they are food importers, and also Sudan, which is developing its agricultural production. According to Nunes, the United States became interested in the Brazilian proposal and may fund the project. Bahrain, the spokesman says, is interested in providing funds to other African countries as well, such as Tanzania and Mozambique.
According to Nunes, “these are still preliminary talks” and the actions may also include other Arab countries interested in receiving aid from Brazil in the fields mentioned. “The more cooperation, the more food security,” claims Nunes. According to the spokesman, the fields of food security, power supply and water management are the main causes for conflict and through its proposal for aid, Brazil intends to help minimise tension in the Arab world.
“We want to establish means of cooperation that will transfer technology in order to expand agricultural boundaries,” says Nunes. He also claims that the ways in which the collaboration will take place will be analysed based on the needs of each country. An an example, he cites the possibility of research being made by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) for developing crops that adapt to the soil and the economy of a given country,
Nunes also discloses that Morocco and Mauritania have expressed their interest in becoming part of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, a group established in 1986, within the United Nations, through a Brazilian initiative, for regional cooperation and maintaining peace and safety among southern countries. “Brazil wants its relations with Arab countries to extend beyond trade,” he asserts.
Aside from the Embrapa, the cooperation plan between Brazil and the Arab countries should also involve the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
