The Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA) reported that a group of Brazilian officials and entrepreneurs will be at the capital city of the Arab country to discuss actions for bringing Brazil and Tunisia closer together. They will participate at the fourth reunion of the Business Council of the two countries and discuss the establishment of a partnership in the shoes and leather sector.

Brazil and Tunisia will take one more step in their commercial relations. Brazilian and Tunisian officials and entrepreneurs will meet as of today (28) in Tunis, capital city of the Arab country, to set out actions for approximation of the two countries. One of the main activities is the meeting of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council, which takes place today, at the Tunisian Union for Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (Utica).

The Council was created in 2002 and is coordinated by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in Brazil, and by Utica, in Tunisia. It is integrated by businessmen and representatives of sectorial associations and entities from Brazil and Tunisia. The Brazilian delegation visiting the Arab country is formed by about ten people.

During the journey the establishment of partnerships in the leather and shoes sector will also be discussed. Representatives of the Brazilian Association of Leather Components, Shoes and Artefacts Companies (Assintecal) are participating in the mission to talk about the possibilities of an agreement with the local leather and shoes industries.

President of the Arab Chamber, Antonio Sarkis Jr, who leads the group stated that this was one of the requests of the Tunisians.

The Tunisian entrepreneurs manifested an interest in establishing cooperation with suppliers in the shoes and leather sector at the Council's last meeting, which took place last year, in Brazil. "Tunisia has rich experience and strong tradition in the leather sector. This is a good initiative," says the Tunisian ambassador in Brasilia, Zouheir Allagui.

Tunisia also has many shoes factories and exports the products to the European Union free of taxes. The partnership will be discussed with the National Federation of Leather and Shoes (FNCC) yet today. The idea is that the Brazilian companies supply components to the Tunisian shoes and leather factories.

As well as Businessmen, Directors and Advisors of the Arab Chamber and Assintecal, the delegation will have representatives of the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex), the Centre of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Ciesp) and the Tunisian consulate in Porto Alegre, city in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The Apex also has meetings scheduled with the Tunisian Export Promotion Centre and the Tunisian Investments Promotion Agency (Fipa) to set out joint actions for trade promotion. For the 29th a seminar is programmed on business opportunities between Brazil and Tunisia. Also is expected the visit of the Brazilian group to excellency centres in the country, such as Fipa and the Industries Promotion Agency (API), and to the El Ghazala hub, which holds technology and communications companies.

According to Celts Costa Bello, in charge of Business of the Brazilian Embassy in Tunis, the presence of the Brazilian mission in Tunisia will be important to identify in which areas the two countries may work together. According to him, the summit for South American and Arab countries, which took place in Brasilia in May, has already been very important for bringing Tunisia and Brazil closer together.

The ambassador Allagui mentions various sectors in which trade exchanges area interesting for the two countries. He says that they have excess of agriculture products which are very sought after in the external market, such as olive oil, dates, wines and citric fruit, also textile products, phosphates and phosphate products. He states that Brazil is an important partner for their coffee, sugar, beef, tobacco, wood, ores, hides and leather, cast iron, steel, mechanic utensils, amongst others.

The Council was also one of the responsible for the participation of the Arab Chamber in fairs and festivals in Tunisia, for the signing of partnerships between Brazilian and Tunisian entities such as Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) and Utica, Apex and Cepex, and the Syrian Lebanese Hospital and the Sousse Hospital.

Amongst the Brazilian products most exported to Tunisia are sugar, soy oil, coffee, tractors and refrigerators. Tunisia sells to Brazil products such as phosphates, clothes, dates and oils.

The Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA) is an information channel of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) which was created to fill the communications gap between Brazil and the 22 Arab countries that are represented by the Chamber.
 
The Brazil-Arab News Agency 
 
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