S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The Iraqi minister of Industry, Fawzi Hariri, said yesterday (30th) that the Iraqi government is negotiating the purchase of 250 lorries from the Mercedes-Benz plant in S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo, in the Greater S\u00e3o Paulo region. \u201cThis is an initial figure, and as soon as we start taking the first steps, we may increase that figure,\u201d said the minister, who met with representatives of the multinational company in the Greater S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n
Further on, the Iraqi government plans on having a production line in the Arab country, and on importing completely knocked-down (CKD) kits to be assembled in Iraq. \u201cThis will be a long-term process, one that should continue for over 30 years,\u201d said Hariri, who believes that production in the country should total 2,000 units per year. \u201cIt is a very positive strategy, both for the Brazilian employees and for those who will work in Iraq in the future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
According to the minister, negotiations for importing the first lorry units should be concluded by late July. \u201cThe project with Mercedes-Benz in S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo should generate an annual turnover of between US$ 150 million and US$ 200 million,\u201d claimed Hariri. In addition to lorries, the minister also showed interest in importing Brazilian automobiles, among them those of Volkswagen.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s, Volkswagen Brazil exported to Iraq the four-door version of the Passat model, which can still be seen in the country nowadays. \u201cThat was a very important moment for both Brazil and Iraq, and that is why we are back, to resume the work that was started in the past,\u201d claimed the minister.<\/p>\n
Welcomed by the mayor of S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo, Luiz Marinho, Hariri spoke of business opportunities in his country to more than 100 local businessmen. The sectors that the minister highlighted as potential targets for investment in the country include industries, tourism, transport, services and oil. \u201cSeveral developed, industrialised countries are investing in Iraq, mainly because we have laws to encourage investors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hariri also said that in August, the Iraqi government should send its minister of Investment to Brazil to discuss opportunities in the country. According to him, over the last 5 years, the country’s economy remained stable, with an annual inflation rate of 9%.<\/p>\n
After the minister’s visit, Marinho stated that he is interested in organising a trade mission of businessmen from S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo to Iraq. \u201cIraq is now a buyer country, and we are capable of offering several opportunities,\u201d said the mayor.<\/p>\n
Today, the minister will head to Vit\u00f3ria, the capital of the state of Esp\u00edrito Santo, seeking foodstuffs. On Friday, he will travel to Florian\u00f3polis, capital of Santa Catarina, where he should attend a seminar promoted with the support of the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc).<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Arab country’s minister of Industry, Fawzi Hariri, met with Mercedes-Benz representatives in S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo, in the Greater S\u00e3o Paulo, and expressed interest in importing 250 lorries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2307,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-economy"},"wps_subtitle":"The Arab country's minister of Industry, Fawzi Hariri, met with Mercedes-Benz representatives in S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo, in the Greater S\u00e3o Paulo, and expressed interest in importing 250 lorries.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2307"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31359\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}