|
Dubai: Brazil and other Latin American countries are considering setting up a commercial centre in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries to establish a gateway for mutual investments in construction, real estate, clean energy, alternative energy and food industry, said Ahmad Yassine, president of the Trade Exterior Chamber of Brazil-Arabian Gulf and North Africa (Golfobras).
Planned as a permanent venue to exhibit products and services from Brazil and Latin America, the centre aims to tap investment and marketing opportunities offered by the economic boom in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai to both local and foreign investments.
The centre will be set up first in the UAE and then similar centres will be established in other Arab countries.
Speaking at the conclusion of a regional tour by Brazilian businessmen, investors and a former senator, Yassine stressed that Arab-Brazilian relations will also gain fresh momentum through strong presence of future Gulf investments in Brazil which has become the world's sixth largest economy.
During the tour of United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya and Oman, the Brazilian delegation held talks with businessmen and investors from the region.
This and similar future tours aim to further bolstering trade, economic and cultural relations between Arab countries and Latin America.
Expats of Arab origin
"An estimated 20 million people of Arab origin live in Latin America and 7 millions of them are in Brazil," said Yassine, who himself is of Lebanese origins.
The Arab-Latin American relations are heading towards a strong economic and cultural partnership that has been faltering for many years, he noted adding that Gulf countries in particular will have stronger presence in Brazil whose gross national product reached $1,804 billion in 2007.
Glofobras, he said, has representative offices in Abu Dhabi and other Arab cities and will be soon playing a proactive role in boosting relations between the booming Gulf econ-omies and Latin American economies.
The outcome of such frequent relations and visits to the region will be announced in due time, he remarked.
The bloc of Arab countries is the fourth main market for Brazilian agricultural products, only behind the European Union, the United States and China. In 2007, the bloc imported $4.6 billion in Brazilian products, a growth of 4.83 per cent over 2006.
|
