São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce promoted on Friday (30), in São Paulo, a meeting with similar organisations in other countries and with ambassadors of the Middle East and North Africa, with the objective of exchanging experience. The president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Salim Taufic Schahin, spoke about the work of the institution he runs and asked the other participants to share their impressions.
Amin Salam, the vice president of the National United States-Arab Chamber of Commerce (Nusacc), said that due to the Arab Spring, which brought to the light the need of societies in the region, the organisation created a programme for Arab youths who studied in the United States and has been providing incentives for North American companies that operate in the Middle East and North Africa to promote “social corporate responsibility”, mainly in areas like education and health. “One hand alone cannot clap,” he said.
The representative of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce, Suliman Al-Sayyari, stated that the organisation promotes lessons on the business environment in the Arab countries. He also said that he was interested in actions supported by the Arab Brazilian Chamber outside the economic area, like the exchange of doctors with the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital in São Paulo.
Edmond Jreissati, the representative of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries, pointed out that he is counting on the participation of Brazilian companies in investment necessary in the nations of the region, especially after the Arab Spring, and cooperation of Brazil in the search for food safety.
"Brazil, with its natural resources, may help the Arabs end the crisis, also with transfer of technology,” pointed out Jreissati. The supply of food is one of the main concerns of the region. “There are many sectors that require cooperation between Arabs and Brazilians,” he added.
The director of the General Union, Hoda Kachtan, stated that the organisation that brings together the Arab chambers should promote a series of large events in 2013 and expects the participation of all. He recalled the Arab Economic Summit, in January, in Saudi Arabia, a business and Arab investor congress in Alexandria, Egypt, the annual meeting of Chambers of commerce, in Qatar, and a forum about food safety, in Sudan.
The diplomats, in turn, suggested a series of actions to strengthen trade relations between Brazil and the Arab countries. The ambassador of Qatar, Mohammed Alhayki, pointed out the importance of negotiation of agreements to avoid dual income taxing on international relations, and several of his colleagues agreed. The signing of treaties of the kind is one of the demands that the Arab Brazilian Chamber has been discussing with the government of Brazil.
Schahin, in turn, asked the ambassadors for support in the attraction of Arab investment to Brazil. “I made an appeal to the ambassadors, for [the Arab countries] to have Brazil on their radar, for them to invest in Brazil,” he said.
The meeting took place one day after the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Arab Brazilian Chamber. Also present were ambassadors Abd Elghani Elkarim (Sudan), Yousef Abdulsamad (Kuwait), Djamel Bennaoum (Algeria), Khalid Al Jaradi (Oman), Hossameldin Zaki (Egypt) and Bachar Yaghi (Arab League), as well as the secretary general of the Arab-Argentine Chamber of Commerce, Sattam Kaddour, and the director of the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce, Neirouz Fahed.
The CEO at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, made use of the opportunity to present the organisation’s activities over the last ten years. Also participating were the organisation’s vice presidents, Marcelo Sallum (Management) and Rubens Hannun (Marketing), director Mustafá Abdouni and operations director Andréa Monteiro Uhlmann.
*Translated by Mark Ament
