São Paulo – The Peruvian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry was inaugurated in Lima, Peru on this Wednesday (18th). The goal of the organization is to promote trade relations between the South American country and the 22 Arab nations. According to information supplied by Peruvian news agency Andina, the new chamber was established by businessmen of the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL) and by representatives of Arab chambers of commerce that do business in Peru, with support from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The initiative of particular importance as the Peruvian capital is going to host the third edition of the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (Aspa) in February next year. According to Andina, the president of the new organization, Miguel Atala, claimed that one of the primary goals of the Chamber will be to help the Peruvian foreign ministry organize the summit.
"In the coming summit, we will seek to effectively bring new Arab investment into Peru, thus increasing the number of partners of the Peruvian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry," said Atala, according to the news agency.
He informed that bilateral trade between Peru and the Arab countries totalled US$ 84 million in 2009, and that this year the figure should surpass US$ 90 million. To the executive, the establishment of the Chamber is going to give bilateral relations a new boost.
The vice president of the CCL, Pedro Tomatis, added that exports from Peru to the Arab countries generated US$ 48.6 million in revenues last year. The Andean country’s three leading markets in the region are Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The main products shipped are zinc, beans, glass for automobiles, ammunition, tyres, machinery parts, and fresh grapes. Atala claimed that there are opportunities for increasing exports of agricultural items, minerals and jewellery.
Peru, on the other hand, according to Andina, has imported products mainly from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.
Brazilians
The inauguration of the Peruvian Chamber was attended by the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Salim Taufic Schahin, and of the organization’s secretary general, Michel Alaby.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber has been supporting the establishment of similar organizations in South America, and is responsible for coordinating the creation of a federation of Arab chambers in the continent, a role that it assumed following the second Aspa Summit, in 2009, in Qatar. The federation may be officially launched at the next meeting of heads of state, in Lima.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
