São Paulo – The minister of Expatriates of Syria, Joseph Sweed, visited yesterday (7), in São Paulo, several institutions created and maintained by Arab immigrants and their descendants and greatly praised the work they develop in Brazil. "All of these Syrian and Lebanese institutions contributed to the development of the country and may establish very significant bridges between Syria and Brazil," he said.
On visiting the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital, Sweed stated that Syria is proud to know that it was Syrians and Lebanese who helped make the hospital. "This institution comes to show that Syrian and Lebanese immigrants collaborated much for the construction of a new society," said the minister, who met with Violeta Jafet, the honorary president of the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital’s Women’s Beneficent Society, which manages the institution. He also met the president at the Society, Ivete Riskallah, and the clinical director at the hospital, Riad Younes.
During the visit to the hospital’s installations, like the training centres, neuroscience laboratories and intelligent surgery wards – equipped with the Da Vinci robot, a robotic system for complex and high precision surgeries -, the minister was impressed with the technology.
Another institution that impressed him was Schahin Group, which has been operating for over 40 years in sectors like engineering and construction, oil and gas, energy, telecommunications and banking. "We are very proud of this group. The video showed us the greatness of the company and the works promoted that helped develop the country. This is a reason of pride for us, in Syria, and worldwide," said Sweed, who was met by brothers Salim Taufic Schahin and Milton Schahin, partners in the group.
Salim Schahin, who is also the president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, told the minister that his father, Taufic Schahin, left Syria for Brazil and fought much to grant his children good education. "It was a life of hardships to make all of this. But the hardest sacrifice was my father’s abandoning his family in Syria and coming to live in Brazil alone at the age of 16," he said.
It was with this spirit of fighting and courage that many Syrian immigrants in Brazil jointed forces to establish Club Homs, which the minister also visited yesterday. "I feel honoured to visit this club that translated the Syrian civilization and placed it up high. It has united people," said Sweed, who met the president at the club, Fuad Antacli, the chairman of the board of government, Nélson Azar and with councillors and board members.
Yesterday afternoon, the minister also visited Brazil Mosque, the Orthodox Cathedral and the Syrian-Arab Cultural Centre. During all the visits, Sweed was accompanied by a delegation of Syrians, immigrants and diplomats, like the consul of Syria to São Paulo, Ghazi Deeb. Today (8), in the morning, the minister should visit the Pro-Infancy Syrian Home.
*Translated by Mark Ament
