São Paulo – Brazil’s Federal Senate approved on Thursday (11) the creation of the Brazil-United Arab Emirates Parliamentary Group, as a result of a bill from senator Marcos do Val. The group is designed to do interparliamentary cooperation services, in a bid to advance bilateral relations between the legislative branches in both countries.
According to the UAE’s ambassador to Brasília, Saleh Alsuwaidi, the group is a consequence of efforts from both countries towards closer cooperation. Alsuwaidi stressed that bilateral ties with Brazil are moving forward in all sectors, especially since president Jair Bolsonaro’s October 2019 visit to the UAE. “Therefore, both sides are activating their efforts in all sectors to initiate many initiatives to transform this relation to a strategic one,” he told ANBA.
The diplomat notes that the UAE government and its Federal National Council are interested in building more bridges with Brazil. “We believe the UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group in Brazil is an important way to convey information and updates about the status of the bilateral relations and the way to expand it as well as exchange ways on how to solve obstacles facing the growth of this relation,” he argued.
Agência Senado reported that Marcos do Val believes greater participation of congress members in the field of international relations could lead to democratization of topics in discussion, which in turn could mean a closer connection with society in the UAE as well as Brazil. “We are workin on our ties with the UAE because they are keen on making investments in Brazil, and we must enable that. Through this work with our senators and the UAE, we will create lots of jobs and income here in our country,” the senator said.
The bill will undergo appreciation by the Managing Commission. The congressman in charge of the bill, Fernando Bezerra Coelho, advised on the project’s approval. Despite noting that the Chamber of Deputies has already created a Brazil-United Arab Emirates Parliamentary Group, comprising deputies as well as senators, he also said “this does not necessarily prevent another group from being created in this House,” his report read.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
