São Paulo – Brazil has a new envoy in Kuwait, ambassador Rodrigo Gabsch (pictured above), who arrived in the Arab country last weekend seeking to expand trade and investment relations between the two nations. In an interview with ANBA, during a visit to the headquarters of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in late 2023, Gabsch spoke about his goals for the mission.
Despite being his first time heading an embassy, Gabsch arrives in Kuwait with extensive experience in diplomatic leadership, having previously served as director of the North America and Africa departments of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other posts in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, and in Hungary, Paraguay, and the United States.
“I am very excited to cooperate as head of mission and propose lines of action and political initiatives in the bilateral relationship. It is extraordinary,” said Gabsch. The diplomat did not work directly with Kuwait but with the North African Arab countries at the African department of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry. “The Gulf is new for me. I’m very excited to dive into this new region of the world,” he said.
Regarding investments, the diplomat aims to present Brazilian agribusiness, including logistics, to Kuwaiti investors. Gabsch sees potential, as Kuwait needs food security and wants to invest, and Brazil is an agribusiness powerhouse. Nevertheless, he will focus on reciprocal investments. “Brazil wants to attract investments, and so does Kuwait,” he said.
Concerning trade, the ambassador believes expanding Brazilian exports to Kuwait is possible, not just in agribusiness. According to Gabsch, the Arab country has a development plan that involves the construction of new cities, including smart cities and logistics corridors. The diplomat sees this as an opportunity for more trade in goods and services. “Civil construction and ancillary goods and services are something that, in my opinion, is worth exploring,” he said.
The diplomat arrived in Kuwait expecting to build stronger institutional ties between the countries and expand bilateral agreements in matters such as legal and technical cooperation. He also wants to improve consular services aimed at Brazilians living in the Gulf country – currently around 300 – and assess local interest for cultural and sporting cooperation on location.
In his visit to the ABCC headquarters, Gabsch was received by the entity’s president, Osmar Chohfi, secretary-general Tamer Mansour, and director of Institutional Relations, Fernanda Baltazar. He spoke to the heads of the entity about target sectors and issues to be worked on in his mission that could strengthen relations between Kuwait and Brazil. He also got to know the work of the ABCC more closely.
Born in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Gabsch holds a degree in Law and enrolled in the Rio Branco Institute diplomacy school 30 years ago. In addition to being director for Africa and North America, the diplomat was also minister-counselor of the Embassy of Brazil in Asunción, Paraguay, served as head of the Consular Sector in New York, and also worked at the Brazilian Senate in Brasília.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
