São Paulo – This Tuesday (30th), the Brazilian vice president Michel Temer attended a luncheon offered by the Arab ambassadors to Brasília (the national capital). According to information from his press office, Temer spoke for greater integration with Middle East and North Africa countries, trade-wise.
One of the topics discussed was holding a seminar for Arab and Brazilian businessmen and government officials next year in São Paulo, an initiative of the Brazilian federal government. His idea is to have the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) organize the meeting.
“In 2013, we intend to bring together Arab and Brazilian businessmen and governments in order to discuss partnerships, so as to integrate our countries from an economic and financial standpoint, said Temer according to his office.
The vice president’s press office informed that president Dilma Rousseff wants Temer to actively participate in the process of establishing strong ties between Brazil and the Arab world.
Approximately two weeks ago, at a seminar promoted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and newspaper Valor Econômico, in São Paulo, the former minister of Finance Delfim Netto said he has spoken with the vice president, and that he is particularly keen on the efforts to establish closer ties with the Middle East and North Africa countries.
Over luncheon this Tuesday, Temer told the ambassadors that he felt at home, as he himself is of Lebanese descent. The vice president restated Brazil’s pro-Middle East peace stance. According to his office, he said the doors to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and vice presidency “are open” to the Arabs.
Still according to the vice president’s office, luncheon was attended by ambassadors Ramez Goussous (Jordan), Ibrahim Alzeben (Palestine), Abd Elkarim (Sudan), Baker Hussen (Iraq), Yousef Abdulsamad (Kuwait), Djamel-Eddine Bennaoun (Algeria), Khaled Al Jaradi (Oman), Hisham Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Al-Hayki (Qatar) and Bachar Yaghi (Arab League) and diplomats from other Arab embassies, the CEO of the Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (Fambras), Mohamed El Zoghbi, and the Fiesp president Paulo Skaf.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
