São Paulo – The president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Rubens Hannun, said that the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum achieved its goal. “It achieved what we wanted in terms of activity regarding the integration between Brazil and the Arab countries,” he told ANBA after the event’s closing ceremony this Monday (02) at Hotel Unique in São Paulo. “Now we give continuity,” he said.
The Arab Chamber’s CEO, Michel Alaby, and the secretary-general of the Union of Arab Chambers, Khaled Hanafy, presented a series of takeaways from the forum’s discussions. “To create free trade areas is something important to move from simple trade to reach a stage of trade between blocs,” said Hanafy. Mercosur, for instance, is negotiating free trade agreements with, at least, four Arab countries, and has two agreements already signed, with Palestine and Egypt. The latter is the only one that went into effect.
He also said that Brazil and the Arab nations have to reduce their dependence in exports of inputs and begin to add greater value to exporting products; that Brazil needs to improve its transportation logistics; and that both parties should use technology to strengthen trade, mentioning as example the adoption of digital certifications of origin.
Hanafy added that the forum had a special value with the presence of president Michel Temer, the minister of Finance, Henrique Meirelles, and other Brazilian authorities. “In the discussions, I felt the mutual willingness for cooperation, which became crystal clear with the massive participation,” he declared. The forum gathered around 700 attendees. “Participation was beyond any expectations,” said Hannun.
Alaby pointed out that the cooperation between Brazilians and Arab can still improve. “With the organization of trade missions, business trade expos and events such as this one,” he stated. He also said that Brazil could use the Arab nations as exporting hubs for Asia, Europe and Africa markets. “The Arabs are strategic partners of the Brazilian economy,” he reinforced.
Alaby said that the private sector can not sit around waiting for government action. “The Arab Chamber takes the lead and takes companies to the Arab world,” he said. Hanafy added that “the willingness must be turned into action,” and the Arab Chamber has an important role in this sense.
Hannun concluded saying that a series of initiatives came out of the forum. “It’s a five-year plan, as said by ambassador Ibrahim Alzeben (dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil), so we have to give continuity,” he said.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani