Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – Brazilian companies are interested in participating in the expansion process of the oil industry in Syria. According to the ambassador of the Arab country in Brasilia, Ali Diab, two national companies, Odebrecht, in the construction sector, and Petrobras, the oil giant, went to the embassy after information regarding tenders for the construction of refineries and exploration of natural gas and oil in the Arab country.
Syria is currently promoting bidding processes in the sector. One of them, with its deadline on Monday (03), is for the exploitation of oil and gas in nine blocks spread across the country. The other one is for the viability study of an oil extraction plant and the deadline for sending the proposals is 20th of December.
The Syrian press has also given the news that the country plans on building its third oil refinery in the Northeast of the province of Der Al-Zour. Syria currently has two refineries, one of them in the city of Homs and another in Banias. The first one produces 107,000 barrels of oil per day and the second 239,000 barrels. The aim of the Syrian government, however, is to increase these volumes. According to the Syrian ambassador, the new refinery will have investments of US$ 1.5 billion.
According to Ali Diab, the oil sector is one on which there are opportunities for the Brazilians in Syria. The current ongoing tender processes in the country in the sector are open to foreigners. The ambassador recalls other segments where there may be space for Brazilian companies in Syria, such as foods. "Syria produces grains and is interested in foodstuff industries," he says. The Syrians have shown interest, at business roundtables and fairs in Brazil and Damascus, in forming joint ventures with Brazilian entrepreneurs to produce in the Arab country.
Library
According to the Syrian ambassador, the political and economical relations between the two countries increased a lot after the summit for South American and Arab countries, which took place in May, in Brazilian capital Brasilia. Indeed, the global trade between the two countries increased by 56% between June and August this year, reaching US$ 86.2 million. During the same months last year, the sum of imports and exports was of US$ 55.3 million. Brazilian exports to Syria increased by 10%, from US$ 53 million to US$ 59 million, and sales from the Arab country to Brazil went from US$ 1.5 million to US$ 27.1 million.
Ali Diab stated to ANBA that the embassy is working to proceed with the matters of the summit. One of the actions is the preparation of the meeting to take place on the 14th and 15th of December, in the city of Aleppo, in Syria, to deal with the installation of an Arab and South American library. The library will be digital and will gather the works of authors from both regions. The meeting in Aleppo will bring together diplomats and scholars from both regions. The library should enter into operation next year.
According to the ambassador, Brazil and Syria have significant cultural ties that bring the countries together and this may be strengthened even further. "The Arabs were present on the Iberian Peninsula for over 850 years, in Spain and Portugal, and left significant heritage there. They therefore indirectly participated in the discovery of Brazil," stated Diab.
Service
Information regarding oil exploration in Syria
Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
Site: http://www.mopmr-sy.org
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey and Mark Ament
