São Paulo – Diplomat Sidney Leon Romeiro (pictured above) is the new Brazilian ambassador to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He will take the post in August. The Senate approved Romeiro’s nomination last week, on July 4. Romeiro was serving as director of the Middle East Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2019. This will be the 61-year-old diplomat’s first post as ambassador.
This Monday (10), Romeiro visited the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in São Paulo, where he was welcomed by ambassador Osmar Chohfi, president of the organization, and Fernanda Baltazar, director of Institutional Relations. Romeiro gave an interview to ANBA.
“I am thrilled; it is a position that, as my first assignment, will be quite challenging and has a significant economic dimension of promoting trade and strengthening other areas of bilateral relations, such as culture, which opens many pathways for our work; science and technology – the UAE presently stand out for investments in science, technology, and innovation, especially in artificial intelligence – so I am very motivated to work on this many fields and be able to give a greater dimension to this relationship,” said Romeiro to ANBA.
According to the diplomat, the relationship between Brazil and the UAE is already at a level of strategic partnership. “This means our relationship has long-term goals and objectives, and a greater commitment in different areas, not only in promoting trade and investment, but also in defense, tourism, and multilateral affairs as well – the UAE are now occupying a seat on the [UN] Security Council, so do we – hence, there is greater understanding between the two countries,” he declared.
The biggest challenge as ambassador to Abu Dhabi for Romeiro could be dealing with the already extensive work schedule. “There is great interest from many sectors, governments, and private and public entities; [We have] an increasingly important consular dimension as well; there are already 10,000 Brazilians working there,” he said.
In the UAE, Romeiro only visited Dubai. “I’ve been preparing a lot since I received this honorable nomination from the president. I’ve been reading a lot, talking to different stakeholders in the country, and I’m very excited. I think a modern country awaits me, one of the most promising of the 22 Arab League nations, one facing the future, and that gives a new perception to the region of modernity, audacity, and initiatives. I think I will find a country sharing similarities with Brazil at this moment, a moment of growth and reforms. It’s a perfect marriage between what they expect from us and what we can offer and vice versa,” he stated.
The ambassador’s primary goals are to strengthen the ties and numbers in trade and investment, explore other sectors, such as culture, and increase the number of tourists traveling from the UAE to Brazil.
One of the topics of his meeting with Chohfi and Baltazar was the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP28), to take place in Dubai later this year. Parallel activities are expected to occur concurrently with the event, and Romeiro wants to see more projects from Brazilian companies linked to energy transition, sustainability, and ESG. Baltazar suggested Emirati businesspeople visit Belém, where COP30 will occur in 2025. UAE-based investment funds, like Mubadala and Adia, could also invest in the green economy.
“I am very excited to work ahead of the Brazilian embassy. There will be COP28 and possibly the president’s visit with many state governors. I hope to have the energy to carry out all this demand and agenda of initiatives,” declared Romeiro.
The ABCC president stated Romeiro would find a favorable environment for the relationship between the countries to grow productively, and the ABCC is available to help, including its international office in Dubai.
Career
Sidney Leon Romeiro was born in the city of São Caetano do Sul, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, in 1962. He has an undergraduate degree in Law from the University of São Paulo (USP), where he also obtained his master’s degree in International Law. He entered Brazil’s diplomacy school, Rio Branco Institute, in 1995. In the national capital Brasília, Romeiro served in the offices of the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He was the economic minister counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in London, United Kingdom, from 2015 to 2018. He was also deputy consul general of the Consulate General in London from 2018 to 2019. He also held mission posts at the United Nations in New York (2002-2006) and at the Brazilian embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel (2006-2010), and Amman, Jordan (2010-2013).
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
