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S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Syria\u2019s minister of Health, Nizar Yazigi, said, in an interview to ANBA on Monday (30) evening, that his government is searching, in Brazil, for pharmaceutical suppliers and companies that can invest in the manufacturing of drugs in the Arab country. Yazigi is in S\u00e3o Paulo to attend the World Hepatitis Summit, which will be held from November 1 to 3 in S\u00e3o Paulo, and was welcomed for dinner at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have two goals: the first is to buy medicines to meet the necessities of Syria; the second is to establish plans for joint production lines with foreign companies in Syrian territory,\u201d said the minister. According to him, the country traditionally imports pharmaceuticals for chronic diseases, cancer treatment and vaccines. \u201cSince before the crisis,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Yazigi said that until 2010, Syria had a modern pharmaceutical industry and used to export pharmaceuticals to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, but that with the beginning of the civil conflict in 2011, 20 out of the 70 drug plants were shut down. \u201cDespite the war, it was possible to put into operation again 16 of these 20 pharmaceutical plants, but not at full capacity,\u201d he said. He added that the government plans to authorize the construction of ten new plants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The minister pointed out that the government supplies drugs free of charge to the population, but beyond the impact of the conflict in the local industry, drug imports were affected by the international embargos imposed on Syria. In this sense, he\u2019s looking for suppliers \u201cin friendly countries.\u201d \u201cIn the BRICS, especially,\u201d he said, mentioning the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.<\/p>\n Yazigi said that, in 2015, he visited Cuba, which started to supply pharmaceuticals to Syria, and more recently, he travelled to Iran, Russia, Belarus, China and India. \u201cTo see what products are available in these countries\u00a0that Syria needs,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n However, to facilitate deals with Brazil, he said that both governments need to sign a memorandum of understanding in the pharmaceutical sector, despite the existence of a bilateral cooperation agreement for the same area, signed when Syrian president Bashar Al Assad visited Brazil in 2010.<\/p>\n In August, four Brazilian pharmaceuticals and cosmetics companies\u00a0took part in a stand organized by Brazil\u2019s embassy at the Damascus International Fair, held for the first time since 2011.<\/p>\n Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After a meeting of the minister with the Arab Chamber\u2019s board of directors, the Chamber\u2019s president, Rubens Hannun, pointed out that the community of Syrian origin in S\u00e3o Paulo and in the country as a whole \u201cis considerable\u201d and that the visit is important, and that for the Chamber it is relevant to follow the events in the Arab nation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis makes us very willing to collaborate with Syria\u2019s reconstruction,\u201d said Hannun. \u201cNot only to generate deals to Brazilian companies, but also from the social point of view,\u201d he added, referring to attending the needs of the population.<\/p>\n The vice president of Marketing of the Arab Chamber, Riad Younes, who is a physician, gave a presentation to the minister about a bilateral cooperation agreement that was being worked on before the conflict in Syria. At the time, Younes was the director of the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital, in S\u00e3o Paulo, and Brazilian professionals were participating in an exchange program with Syrian doctors in the field of liver transplant, with the goal to train the Syrians in this specific procedure, but which was cancelled.<\/p>\n \u201cHe (the minister) said that he really enjoyed it and thanked the efforts of the Arab Chamber (which supported the project) and said that he would love to see this initiative implemented,\u201d said Younes, who currently is a director of German Hospital Oswaldo Cruz.<\/p>\n *Translated by S\u00e9rgio Kakitani<\/strong><\/p>\n