São Paulo – Brazil and Bahrain lived days of rapprochement last week with a visit to Brasília from a parliamentary delegation from the Arab country. The group led by Bahrain’s Council of Representatives Speaker Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam was welcomed by Brazilian political leading figures and had a meeting with the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Brazil and Bahrain celebrate on June 26 the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the parliamentary visit to the Brazilian federal capital was part of its celebrative program.
Al Musallam was quoted as saying in a statement that Brazil-Bahrain relations are based on a close strategic partnership and the shared desire of the friendly countries to bring together bilateral positions and work in a coordinated, continuous manner to support security, peace, and international coexistence. The congressman said his country is full of promising investment opportunities, and the Brazilian people is welcome to take part.
The meeting with the ABCC addressed how to widen cultural, economic and commercial relations between Brazil and Bahrain, said ABCC secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour, who represented the institution. “We discussed some areas of special concern to Bahrain like food security, technological development, sports development, e-games, the importance of halal, and how Bahrain can be a hub to Brazilian goods,” Mansour told ANBA.
The visit from the delegation of Bahrain featured talks held with Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies President Arthur Lira, Federal Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco, and Brazil-Bahrain Parliamentary Group. A ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Brazil-Bahrain diplomatic relations was also held with the group, featuring representatives from Brazilian upper and lower houses, as well diplomats.
According to information from the office of the speaker of the Council of Representatives of Bahrain, a special invitation was made to Arthur Lira, Rodrigo Pacheco and members of the Brazil-Bahrain Parliamentary Group to visit Bahrain in a bid to activate the role of the parliamentary diplomacy, strengthen parliamentary cooperation, hold bilateral events and coordinate standings at international forums for the good of the two friendly countries and peoples.
Meetings for investment and trade partnerships were attended by representatives of Brazil’s Investment Partnerships Program (PPI), Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) corporate management director Floriano Pesaro, Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (Fambras) vice president Ali Zoghbi, and Fambras project development and institutional relations director Delduque Martins.
The delegation from Bahrain consisted of MP Zainab Abdulamir Khalil, deputy head of the delegation and chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, MP Abdulhakim Mohammad Al Shino, member of the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee, MP Jalal Kadhem Hassan, member of the of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, MP Ahmed Sabah Al Salloum, of the of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, and MP Hassan Ebrahim Hassan, member of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security Committee.
Common agendas discussed at the parliamentary meeting
Topics discussed at the meetings of the delegation in Brazil also included incentives to mutual trade and investment between Brazil and Bahrain and the role of the legislative bodies to facilitate these transactions by drafting laws, Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, the ease of investing in Bahrain, the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, and other agendas of interest for both countries. Al Musallam stressed the attention and care that Brazil-Bahrain relations get from Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with support and assistance from Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The Council of Representatives’ speaker also stressed the importance of Brazil-Bahrain Parliamentary Group, expressed pride and appreciation for Brazil-Bahrain relations and the two countries’ desire to cement and spread values of peace, tolerance and human coexistence, praised Brazil’s position regarding the Palestinian issue and support to Arab issues, mentioning Bahrain’s initiative to host a peace conference in the Middle East. He also stressed the role of Bahrain’s ambassador to Brazil, Bader Abbas Alhelaibi, and Brazil’s ambassador to Bahrain, Adriano Silva Pucci, in the bilateral relations and support to the visit.
Read more:
Brazil and Bahrain celebrate 50-year partnership
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
