São Paulo – Brazil and the United Arab Emirates entered this Friday (15) into an agreement for cooperation in tourism. The UAE’ minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (pictured, on the left) and Brazil’s minister of Tourism Marcelo Álvaro Antônio (on the right) signed the document at the seat of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Brasília.
The Brazilian Ministry of Tourism said the agreement provides for the streamlining of formalities and customs procedures to spur bilateral tourism and encourage mutual investment. It also covers the sharing of industry information and promotional material. The Ministry reported that talks for the treaty were underway since last year.
“Our goal is to enhance ties and tourist flows between the two countries, Antônio was quoted by the Ministry of Tourism as saying. “The UAE are hugely promising as a source of tourists and an inbound and outbound tourism hub,” Brazil’s foreign minister Ernesto Araújo told the press after a meeting with his Arab counterpart.
Investments
As reported by ANBA on Thursday (14), Brazil and the UAE have also reached a Cooperation and Facilitation Investment Agreement (CFIA) designed to encourage mutual investments. Talks for this had been ongoing for some time, and the move comes in the wake of a double income taxation agreement, established in 2019, and a tourist visa waiver agreement which is currently in effect.
“Brazil has major investments in place in the UAE – in foodstuffs, for instance – and so does the UAE in Brazil, in infrastructure, finances and hotels, and I am certain that we are witnessing the beginning of a major step forward in this field,” said Araújo.
“We wish to bring much more investment from the UAE into Brazil, where the potentialities are immense, especially due to the potential of UAE investment funds,” stressed Araújo. According to him, this is the sixth visit of his Emirati counterpart to Brazil, and this is “proof of the mutual importance imparted to bilateral ties.”
Dialogue
The Brazilian FM also said an agreement has been reached for legal cooperation. The foreign ministers also discussed the political scenario in the Middle East and South America. “Brazil is ready to support efforts for peace and stability in that region (the Middle East),” said Araújo. “I am a big enthusiast for this partnership with the UAE,” he concluded.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
