|
 There was a fourfold increase in exports from Egypt to Brazil in 2008, contributing for reduction of the historic deficit that the Arab country has in the trade balance. This according to the ambassador of Brazil to Cairo, Cesário Melantônio Neto.
"Brazilian exports contributed to the growth, but the greatest reason for happiness was identifying the fourfold increase in Egyptian exports, reducing the deficit," said the diplomat. He pointed out that bilateral trade between both countries, which is the aggregate result of exports and imports, exceeded US$ 1.6 billion last year, as against US$ 1.3 billion in 2007.
Up to November, Egyptian sales to Brazil totaled US$ 203 million, growth of 309.51% over the same period in 2007. The products that contributed most to the growth were super phosphate and calcium phosphate, inputs used in the fertilizer industry.
Brazil also imported significant volumes of other chemicals used in crops, as well as naphtha for the petrochemical industry, raw material for the paint sector and cotton.
On the other lane, Brazilian exports to Egypt totaled US$ 1.26 billion up to November, an increase of 11.32% over the same period in 2007. The main products shipped were sugar, iron ore, beef, calcinated alumina, chassis for buses, tobacco, soy oil, chicken, compressors and Kraft paper.
To Melantônio, the visit to Brazil of the minister of Industry and Trade of Egypt, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, in August, played a fundamental part in the expansion of trade relations. After him, the ministers of Finance, Youssef Boutros Ghali, and of Oil, Sameh Fahmi, also visited Brazil.
"The image of Brazil in Egypt is so positive that three heavyweight ministers visited Brazil in five months, which shows a quality change in interests," said the ambassador.
According to him, the expansion of relations should continue in 2009. "Despite the international crisis, the countries have healthy financial systems and good rates of growth in comparison with other nations," he said.
One of the promising areas is tourism. Melantônio was informed by the Egyptian minister of Tourism, Zoheir Garranah, that the number of Brazilian visitors to the Arab country tripled in 2008, reaching 45,000 people. That is at a moment in which, due to the crisis, the total number of visitors has dropped 28%.
"Brazil has become an important source of tourists to Egypt," stated Melantônio. In this respect, Garranah plans to visit Brazil this year to meet with representatives of travel agencies, journalists and government members.
Still this year, Brazil should receive the ministers of Social Solidarity, Ali El-Sayed Al-Moselhy, who visited the country in 2007, and of Agriculture, Amin Ahmed Abaza. On the other side, Egypt should receive the Brazilian ministers of Social Development, Patrus Ananias, and of Communications, Hélio Costa.
Also for 2009, the ambassador pointed out the promotion of a seminar about bilateral trade relations including businessmen from both nations, participation in Cairo International Fair, which will include participation of the Arab Brazilian Chamber for the 10th year running, and promotion of a Brazilian cinema week in Cairo.
Still in the first quarter there should be, in Cairo, a meeting between foreign ministers of the Arab and South American nations to complete the agenda of the 2nd summit between both blocs, to take place in Doha, Qatar. Melantônio pointed out the effort of the League of Arab States, which has offices in the Egyptian capital, in the promotion of the meeting of heads of state and government.
In the six months since he took over the Brazilian embassy, Melantônio also had meetings with the ministers of Civil Aviation, Ahmed Mohamed Shafik, and of Defense, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
The former showed satisfaction with the performance of the commercial jets made by Embraer used by EgyptAir and the latter spoke about the interest of the country in the purchase of Supertucano training and light attack turboprops, also made by the Brazilian company.
Anba
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Brazil received a huge boost in its international image with its selection as the host of the 2016 Olympics, but it was really just the cherry on top of the overall recognition of the country's ascension to the ranks of one of the world's most important countries. Now, as it finally takes its place on the world scene, there has been a great deal of concern about what kind of image Brazil hopes to project, now that the world is really paying attention. 
The only good thing to say about the visit to Brazil of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday November 23, is that it was mercifully short and lasted less than 24 hours. Ahmadinejad had his picture taken being hugged by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva who gave him a warm welcome and said Iran had every right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 
The small, coastal town of Condé is located just a twenty minute's drive from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. The Northeast of Brazil has historically been a place of encounter and mixing between peoples. For millenia groups of indigenous people fished, farmed, migrated and sometimes fought along this large, fertile area. 
The Brazilian diplo-MÁ-cia (bad diplomacy) carries on its accelerated course towards the non-acknowledgment of human rights, although sometimes it takes pleasure in saying that it does precisely the opposite. The visit of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is another example of a diplomatic omission that verges on hypocrisy. 
On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil. 
Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms. 
One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis. 
On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking. 
Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse. 
Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose.