São Paulo – The Brazilian government is holding a political and business mission to Tunisia, Morocco and Ethiopia next week, from March 8 to 11. An initiative from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the mission is part of a federal government strategy to build closer ties with African countries, and it will be headed by foreign minister Mauro Vieira. Memorandums are expected to be signed to foster trade and investment in those countries.
The Foreign Ministry press office said the countries were chosen because they are relevant partners of Brazil’s in the African continent. All three of them sustain political and trade relations with Brazil, and the goal is to further cement those relations, as well as venture into new, under-tapped fields. The trip will focus on politics, trade and cooperation.
The director of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s Trade and Investment Promotion Department, Rodrigo de Azeredo Santos, claims there are very good export and partnership opportunities for Brazilian companies in those countries. The delegation will comprise executives from 15 to 20 companies and institutions, including the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. Registration is still open for companies (see contact info below).
FM Mauro Vieira will meet with authorities in each of the countries, as well as handle the opening or closing of entrepreneurial activities. The participating executives will attend panels on business opportunities and investment partnerships, as well as have face time with local businesspersons. The mission will be in Ethiopia on the 8th and 9th, in Morocco on the 10th and in Tunisia on the 11th.
Azeredo says Brazil will present trade and investment memorandum proposals in all three countries. Whether those will be signed will depend on each of the countries, but this is of the expected outcomes of the mission. The agreements are hoped to pave the way for the establishment of international workgroups, leading up to the signing of Agreements on Cooperation and Facilitation of Investments (ACFI), which set forth trade and investment rules, but require approval from National Congress in Brazil’s case.
Morocco
According to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry press office, an agreement for cooperation on legal matters is also on the agenda for Morocco, as well as discussions regarding the resumption of talks for a Moroccan agreement with the Mercosur. The ministry stresses that Brazil sustains excellent relations with Morocco, including mutual investments and trade, but notes that exports and imports lack diversification. The launch of a non-stop flight Brazil-Casablanca flight by Royal Air Maroc in 2013 is a clear sign of trust in the future of relations with Brazil, according to the Ministry.
Azeredo told ANBA that at this time, Morocco runs a deficit in trade with Brazil due to sales of Moroccan phosphate, an issue whose solution will be in discussion. Brazil is interested in selling beef to Morocco, but customs duties levied in Morocco are too heavy. According to the diplomat, the Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer is also interested in the Moroccan market. The company will participate in the mission.
Morocco is also interested in cooperating with Brazil in transportation planning, according to Azeredo. Plans include roads, railways and ports, and Azeredo says that creates opportunities for Brazilian service providers and transportation equipment manufacturers.
Tunisia
In Tunisia, a social and citizenship cooperation agreement should be signed in a bid to further the country’s existing ties with Brazil in the field, seeing as Tunisians are drawing inspiration from Brazilian projects, according to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry. An agreement on tourism is also in the plans. The Brazilian government is poised to express its wish to advance talks for a Tunisia-Mercosur agreement.
According to Azeredo, discussions in Tunisia will also involve exports of Brazilian beef, since the Arab country’s customs duties are also excessive. The director of the Trade Promotion Department remarks that Tunisia and Morocco enjoy free-trade agreements with Europe, and therefore can also be gateways into that continent.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry states that the visit to Tunisia is imbued with strong political significance as a conveyor of Brazil’s support to the consolidation of Tunisia’s newfound democracy. Mauro Vieira should be welcomed by the Tunisian president Béji Caid Essebsi, the prime-minister Habib Essib and various ministers. In each country, the Brazilian FM will tackle international agenda subjects like regional crises, anti-terrorism and governance issues.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the mission’s only non-Arab destination, an agreement for cooperation in sanitation will be signed with Brazil and the United Nations Childhood Fund (Unicef). The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said Brazil’s ties with Ethiopia are growing, with newly established mutual embassies, and that the latter regards Brazil as a major partner that can help with its socioeconomic development. From a commercial standpoint, Ethiopia has potential in agriculture and is investing in a green economy, which could mean opportunities in sugar, ethanol and machinery, as well as a potential market for Brazilian agricultural commodities. Embraer also nurtures an interest in the country.
A preliminary schedule made available on the Foreign Ministry’s Commercial Promotion Department website includes a business meeting in Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, at the Sheraton Hotel, on the 8th, with an opening speech by minister Vieira. In Morocco, the business delegation will engage in activities on the 10th, also with an opening address by the FM, at the Sofitel Hotel. The meeting in Tunisia will take place on the 11th at the headquarters of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (Utica), with Vieira delivering a closing speech.
Mission to Ethiopia, Morocco and Tunisia
March 8 to 11, 2016
Organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Corporate registration: http://eventos.dpr.gov.br/Sites/EtiopiaMarrocosTunisia/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
