São Paulo – Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Rubens Hannun gave a lecture this Wednesday (2) at the 16th International Administration Forum hosted by Brazil’s Federal Administration Council (CFA) in Palmas, Tocantins. He gave an overview of the latest developments in Brazilian-Arab relations and the Chamber’s actions.
“There’s a lot of interest in Arab countries,” Hannun told ANBA. “The audience wanted to hear more. They realized most people are unaware of the peculiarities of each country, the opportunities, challenges and diversity from country to country,” he said.
The executive discussed business opportunities that are being created between Brazil and the Arab world as a result of initiatives like Brazilian Agriculture minister Tereza Cristina’s tour of four Arab countries in September, during which Egypt and Saudi Arabia gave the green light to the import of formerly prohibited goods from Brazil. The Arab Chamber played a major role in the tour.
He also remarked that president Jair Bolsonaro is traveling to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar at the end of this month. He will be joined by a delegation of businesspeople in the former two countries, and this should translate into business opportunities.
Hannun described successful initiatives by the Arab Chamber such as bringing together governments and the private sector to downplay the effects of the Operation Weak Meat on Brazilian beef and poultry exports in 2017; this year’s launch of the Arabic version of ANBA as a demonstration of respect to the Arab peoples, which helped leveraging audience; and the opening of the Chamber’s first international office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In fact, last Tuesday (1st), the office was visited by a delegation of representatives from Tocantins’ government and companies.
On the same line, the executive detailed the decision by the League of Arab States to encourage the creation of a nonstop shipping lane between Brazil and Arab countries in partnership with the Union of Chambers of Arab Chambers – the commerce-oriented arm of the Arab League. “The Chamber and the Union are in the center of this decision,” he said.
He also discussed eventual joint actions with CFA and the organizers of the event in Palmas, such as participating in the board of the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum, which the Chamber will hold in April 2020; promoting investment opportunities in sanitation in Brazil, which is a subject close to CFA, to Arab countries; hosting a business seminar with the Arab world in Tocantins; and the visit of a delegation of the Council of Arab Ambassadors to Amazonas, since representatives of that state were there.
“They (CFA) have a wide capillarity, are in every city,” Hannun pointed out. The administration forum started last Tuesday with a lecture by vice president Hamilton Mourão and runs till Thursday (3), featuring a presentation on agribusiness by senator Kátia Abreu (PDT-GO), former minister of Agriculture.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum & Guilherme Miranda
