Riyadh – Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced it signed three cooperation and investment Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Saudi government and companies in urban air mobility, civil aviation, defense, and security. The announcement was made by CEO Francisco Gomes Neto during the Embraer Seminar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this Wednesday (29) afternoon, in which President Lula participated in the opening.
The MoUs resulted from the Brazilian government’s mission to Saudi Arabia. They will allow the company to establish public and private collaboration and joint initiatives, expand investment opportunities and partnerships with local industry, and increase exports from Brazil.
The agreements signed by Embraer in Saudi Arabia were the MoU on Cooperation and Partnership with the Saudi Government (Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia [MISA], and General Authority of Civil Aviation [GACA]), the MoU with the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), and MoU between Eve Air Mobility, Embraer’s “flying car” brand, with the Saudi airline FlyNas, on air taxi operations in the country.
President Lula
Lula began his speech by saying he would board that plane, pointing to the photo of the presidential plane on the screen, and travel to Doha with it. The president said Embraer is the third largest aircraft manufacturer in the world in terms of revenue and size, but in terms of quality, it is equal to or better than its competitors.
The president reaffirmed he is proud to bolster all Brazilian companies on his visits abroad. “Because I think this is the role of a president of the Republic. It’s trying to show that the company he’s talking about deserves to be praised.”
“The importance of Embraer is not just selling planes here. Embraer needs, in addition to selling, to tell our Saudi friends: We want to sell but also want to set up a company here, and we want to produce and share the plane with you so that we can sell planes to part of the world produced in Saudi Arabia,” said Lula.
“Because Brazil needs to consider that good international policy is to share partnerships, do things together, build together, and sell together. That’s why I’m here telling you the Embraer planes are exceptionally high quality,” he said.
He also said that Embraer has always been at the forefront of technological development, and Brazil has a cutting-edge industry. “And we want this industry to be shown and shared with the people of Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“Today, Embraer is a global success, with a presence on all continents and exports to over 100 countries and 60 Armed Forces. But the planes that we export to the Armed Forces are not for waging war. They are for carrying the flag of peace. They carry negotiators to build peace. It’s not about taking soldiers to attack anyone,” he declared, without mentioning the recent conflicts.
Lula also spoke about the company’s environmental sustainability, which, according to him, develops the most efficient aircraft on the market and studies the adoption of green technologies in zero-emission aircraft using hydrogen, electrical power, and sustainable aviation fuels.
“This places Brazil among the very few countries in the world with aeronautical capacity, dominating the complete cycle of aircraft development, certification, manufacturing, export, and maintenance. My government sees the partnership opportunities between Brazil and Saudi Arabia in the aerospace sector as very positive. It opens up space for long-term cooperation and brings together technological development and environmental sustainability, taking the bilateral trade and investment agenda to a new level,” he said.
“What we want is for Brazilian companies to gain scale. And for [Embraer] not to be in third place anymore. It works to be the first, and I’m sure Saudi Arabia will help us achieve this. May the next flight I take to Saudi Arabia be on a plane, on a Saudi Arabia-São Paulo flight, and that we can fly on an Embraer plane because it will cost the same as a plane with a little more autonomy,” he declared.
After speaking at the seminar, Lula boarded to Doha around 4:00 pm AST, where he will have appointments this Thursday (30). He will participate in the opening of the Brazil-Qatar Economic Forum: Opportunities & Business and have a private meeting and lunch with Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
