Damascus – This Monday (20th), during a visit to the Brazilian stand at the Damascus International Fair, the Brazilian ambassador in Syria, Edgard Casciano, said that this is a good moment for being present in the Arab country, both from the economic and political points of view. “This is a very interesting moment for being present in Syria,” diplomat told ANBA.
According to him, the country’s economy is undergoing a “gradual but steady” process of opening up and modernizing itself. Casciano added that Syria has not been seriously affected by the international financial crisis.
“Due to the fact that it is a very regulated economy, the effects [of the crisis] have been softer,” he declared. “In the field of exchange, for instance, the crisis was barely noticed,” he said, underscoring that the country has a floating exchange regime, but that the Syrian pound has retained its value.
“The major challenge facing the country is to create employment, because the population growth rate is very high,” stated the ambassador. This makes it even more important for Syria to promote efforts at modernizing and diversifying its economy, which is highly dependent on oil exports.
To that extent, the local strategy is to attract foreign direct investment, including Brazil’s. Aside from generating employment, this brings new technologies into the country. “Increasing investment is a concern, because local inventories are limited,” said the diplomat. Even in the oil sector, according to the ambassador, there are opportunities still untapped, particularly along the coastline.
Casciano also said that tourism has been increasing “very sharply” with the arrival of large international hotel chains and the construction of new enterprises in the sector.
“The country is open to evaluate all sorts of proposals in the field of investment,” stated the ambassador. It is within this context that the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Salim Taufic Schahin, is making a visit to Damascus this week. He is going to meet with representatives of different government sectors and business leaders. “The visit is important, above all, for prospecting, for identifying the sectors [with the most potential],” he added.
The fair
The Arab Brazilian Chamber has a stand at the fair in partnership with the Brazilian embassy. At the stand, the Market Development analyst of the organisation, Rafael Abdulmassih, explains the work of the Chamber, presents business opportunities in Brazil and distributes promotional material to those interested.
This Monday, for example, the general manager of Abou Jeib for Trading, a local foreign trade-oriented company, Firas Abou Jeib, visited the stand seeking information on Brazilian exporters of spices, particularly pepper. He already imports carnauba palm wax from Brazil and resells it in the Syrian market.
The fair is multisectoral and mixed, i.e., it includes institutional stands, such as those of Brazil and other countries, stands belonging to organizations, governments and companies, but also stands that sell directly to consumers.
The fair is open to the general public and visiting it is a family affair. It starts late in the afternoon, at around 05:30 pm, precisely to attract the public after the working hours are over. At this time, the weather is milder, whereas during the day it is very hot in Damascus at this time of the year.
It is possible to find all sorts of products, ranging from clothing, food and household appliances to vehicles and industrial machinery. There is a strong presence of other Arab countries and of the local industry, including an automaker, the Syrian-Iranian Automobile Manufaturing Company (Siamco), which is exhibiting a car named “Sham”, an Arabic name that designates the “Levant” region in which Syria is located.
Diplomacy
In the field of politics. Edgard Casciano remembered the visit of president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva to the country in 2003, as well as the four visits made by foreign minister Celso Amorim, the latest of which took place at the time of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, in Palestine, early this year. “The minister [Amorim] was welcomed by the president Bashar Al-Assad and his gesture (the visit) was much appreciated here,” he asserted.
The ambassador added that Syria is “ending a period of relative international isolation,” which was imposed on the country during the term in office of former United States president George W. Bush. Now, during Barack Obama’s administration, the diplomacy of the United States in the Middle East is becoming less belligerent. “Important international leaders have been visiting Syria,” he finished off.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
