São Paulo – Lebanon’s minister of Economy and Trade Raed Khoury (center in the picture above) called on the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce to organize a business mission from Brazil to the Arab country in 2019, to look into infrastructure and construction projects being funded by the World Bank. These ventures amount to USD 11.8 billion and are divided into construction, water treatment, sanitation, energy, and oil and gas.
The subject was discussed during a visit of Arab chamber president Rubens Hannun (left in the picture) to Beirut on September 18 and 19. He travelled alongside his Strategic Affairs adviser Tamer Mansour.
According to Mansour, Khoury also asked the Arab Chamber president for help in fast-tracking talks for a Mercosur-Lebanon free trade agreement.
“We also discussed Lebanon’s participation in supermarket industry fair Apas Show in 2019, including the possibility of having a dedicated pavilion for the country,” said Mansour. The director general of Lebanon’s International Cooperation Ministry Alia Abbas (right in the picture) sat in the meeting.
Hannun and Mansour also visited the president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, Mohamed Choucair, who also chairs the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
“We went over the possibility of having a business mission to promote the Apas Show in Lebanon, and Choucair invited Hannun to speak at the meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry from November 21 to 23,” said Mansour. “This event will also see the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Mediterranean Chambers enter into a memorandum of understanding,” he added.
Finally, Hannun and Mansour went to the Union of Arab Chambers headquarters to speak with its secretary general Khaled Hanafy. He invited the Arab Brazilian Chamber to join the Food Security Forum in Fujairah, UAE on November 14 and 15.
“He made an invitation for the Arab Chamber to deliver a lecture on food security, Arab-Brazilian trade relations and the role of private organizations,” said Mansour.
With Hanafy, the executives also discussed coordinated activities in 2019, including prospective events to be held in several cities throughout the Arab world on subjects like halal, logistics, tourism, food security and innovation.
Hannun and Mansour also travelled to Syria and Jordan from September 13 to 22. The Arab Brazilian Chamber entered into its first online export certification agreement with Jordanian authorities, as reported by ANBA last week.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
