São Paulo – The Tunisian-Brazilian Business Council was reactivated during an event in the headquarters of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in São Paulo on Thursday (11) featuring Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisian Abroad Minister Nabil Ammar. The council works towards fostering business relations between Brazil and Tunisia and is spearheaded by the ABCC in Brazil and the UTICA commerce union in Tunisia.
The document reviving the council was signed during the Brazil-Tunisia Economic Forum by Tunisian businessman Moez Driss and Brazil’s Rubens Hannun, who is the entrepreneur behind H2R Insights & Trends, honorary council of Tunisia in São Paulo, and former president of the ABCC. The forum gathered Brazilian and Tunisian businesspeople – the latter having accompanied the minister on this trip to Brazil – for discussions and networking.
“Today we celebrate a lot, including the reactivation of Tunisian-Brazilian Business Council, first established two decades ago, an initiative that was notable in its cultural, tourist, health and sports domains. Due to its pioneering spirit and achievements, this council opened doors, encouraged and inspired the establishment of many similar councils between Brazil and other Arab and even non-Arab countries,” said Hannun at the forum.
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“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank and reminisce my dear friend Ambassador Hassine Bouzid (former ambassador from Tunisia to Brazil, in memoriam), with whom I co-chaired the first iteration of this council, tackling several challenges, pushing boundaries with great wisdom and balance, which are fundamental for the reactivation we start now,” he said. According to Hannun, the council’s future activities will be discussed, and new paths will be mapped out to further strengthen ties.
The signing of the council revival was followed by the launch at the ABCC event of the Commercial and Consular Office in São Paulo of the Embassy of the Tunisian Republic in Brazil, featuring a speech by minister Nabil Ammar, Tunisian companies’ presentations, and the delivery to Tunisia’s foreign minister of Ibn Khaldun’s Al Muqaddimah by Ali Zoghbi, vice president of Fambras Halal, the company that launched the translation featured in the reedition of the book in Brazil with the ABCC.
Osmar Chohfi
The ABCC’s president, diplomat Osmar Chohfi, opened the event, highlighting the honor of the presence of the minister in the headquarters of the institution and the possibilities that the visit from a business delegation such as the one accompanying the minister opens up. “Your visit, Your Excellence, stresses both our history of cooperation and how Brazil-Tunisia bilateral relations have matured,” said Chohfi, referring the role that the ABCC has always played in this cooperation.
Chohfi also spoke how wise was the decision of opening a consular and commercial office in São Paulo, highlighting the role played by Tunisia’s ambassador to Brasil, Nabil Lakhal, for it to occur. The ABCC supported the initiative and will continue collaborating with the office, said Chohfi. “The new office will certainly play a crucial role in strengthening the commercial and bilateral relationship between Brazil and Tunisia, and will provide companies from both countries with new exchanges.”
Brazil and Tunisia
UTICA chief Samir Majoul spoke at the forum, too, underscoring the good figures Brazil has posted in terms of the economy size, and inflation and unemployment reduction. He said the Latin American giant serves as inspiration. “These are very relevant economic advancements,” he said, also mentioning Brazil’s presence in blocs and forums like Mercosur, BRICS and G20.
Majoul also presented the potential of his own country and invited Brazilian companies to explore the benefits and opportunities of the Tunisian market, and so did businessman Moez Driss, who presented the various productive sectors Tunisia operates in. Driss highlighted the potential to step up Brazil-Tunisia relationship in Turism. “The two countries hold outstanding treasures,” he said, suggesting operational agreements should be made to develop the tourism markets.
Central Pharmacy of Tunisia CEO Mehdi Dridi and Brazilian Industry Association of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (Abiquifi) President Norberto Prestes signed a letter of intent for a future interchange in the drug industry. ABCC secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour made a presentation on Ellos, a platform his institution has developed to digitize the customs clearance procedures of Brazil-Arab trade.
Dridi also participated in a roundtable on Brazil-Tunisia trade that was moderated by ABCC Institutional Relations Director Fernanda Baltazar and also featured Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) director-general Hedi Youssef and Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s African Department Director Antonio Augusto Martins Cesar.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
