São Paulo – Brazil’s role in political and commercial relations with Middle East countries will be addressed in the lecture Tehran, Ramallah and Doha: challenges in an active, proud foreign policy, to be delivered by Celso Amorim, the former Brazilian minister of External Relations and Defense, on the 25th in São Bernardo do Campo, in the Greater Metropolitan Area of São Paulo.
The event is part of the activities of the International Relations course at Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), but is open to the general public pending prior registration. “The lecture will explain how Brazilian foreign policy initiatives were devised during his stint as head of the Foreign Ministry,” course coordinator Giorgio Romano explained.
Each of the three cities in the lecture’s title represents a different stance on Brazil’s part with regard to different Middle East issues. “Ramallah relates to Brazil’s attempt to take a stand on the Palestinian issue; Tehran is about talks relating to the nuclear issue [with Iran]; and Doha is about the Doha rounds [of the World Trade Organization],” said Romano.
To Romano, the foreign policy exercised by Amorim throughout the administration of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva “positioned Brazil as a regional player that assumed certain responsibilities outside of Latin America.” The lecture’s title is also a reference to Amorim’s book Tehran, Ramallah and Doha – Memories of an Active, Proud Foreign Policy, launched this year through publisher Benvirá.
The UFABC professor pointed out that during Dilma Rousseff’s administration, Brazil hasn’t changed its political position regarding the Middle East, but has taken a less active stance in the region. “Brazil’s energies are being channeled towards domestic issues. I believe the approach hasn’t changed, but the government is moving slower due to domestic affairs,” he said.
Romano remarked that the emergence of the Islamic State, a radical group active mostly in Syria and Iraq, and civil war in Syria, which broke out in 2011, have made the political scenario “even more complicated.”
“At this time, Brazil is the non-Middle Eastern country that welcomes the most Syrian refugees. There is a large Syrian community here, and it is Brazil’s duty to be part of these discussions, but the country isn’t necessarily prepared for it,” he claimed.
Lecture: Tehran, Ramallah and Doha: challenges in an active, proud foreign policy
By Celso Amorim
March 25th, 7 pm
Venue: Universidade Federal do ABC – Main Auditorium – Bloco Beta
Rua Arcturus, 03 – São Bernardo do Campo
Admission is free, but prior registration is required at http://migre.me/p8G3j
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
