São Paulo – Brazil’s Foreign Affairs minister Mauro Vieira offered a lunch in Brasília to authorities from Arab countries on Friday (17) afternoon in one of the first activities of the new administration with diplomats from the region. The event took place in the Itamaraty Palace and honored ambassadors and chargés d’affaires from the Arab countries in a show of the willingness of the current administration, less than three months into the current term, to be closer to these nations’ leaders.
The event was attended by Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) president Osmar Chohfi. According to Chohfi, the event made it clear the importance the government gives to Arab countries. “The minister really focused on the importance of both political and human relations with the Arab nations and the Arab community in Brazil,” Chohfi told ANBA.
The Arab countries share strong trade ties with Brazil. They are the third leading destination of Brazilian shipments. In 2022, exports from Brazil to the Arab League grossed a record-high revenue of USD 17.74 billion, up 23.06% from a year earlier, which is the best result of the historical series started in 1989. Brazil is a major food supplier to the Arab world. The region, on the other hand, supplies the Brazilian market with oil and fertilizers, both of which are essential for the national agriculture.
As for the Arab influence in the composition of the Brazilian population, an unprecedent survey disclosed by the ABCC showed that 6% of the Brazilian population is made up from Arabs and Arab descendants. The Exclusive National Survey on Arabs in Brazil was done in 2020 by Ibope Inteligência in partnership with H2R Pesquisas Avançadas and revealed that 11.61 million people currently living in Brazil are part of the Arab community.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
