Brazil’s Ambassador Flavio Marega

Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America and currently negotiating key bilateral agreements with the Kingdom, has reaffirmed its support for the legitimate government of Yemen led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

“The Brazilian government has very closely followed the development of events in Yemen since the start of the conflict,” Brazil’s Ambassador Flavio Marega told News Agency.

“Brazil genuinely wishes that the historically and culturally rich Arab country of Yemen and its people will be able to find the path for the return of peace and prosperity in the near future, in which all people of Yemeni society have a role to play.”

Flavio, in an exclusive interview with News Agency, spoke about a range of bilateral and regional issues with special reference to the proposed agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoU) to be endorsed soon by the two countries.

Spelling out the details of the growing relations, he said that “Brazil and Saudi Arabia established diplomatic relations in 1968, and since then we have had a long-standing stable and excellent relationship.”

He noted the Kingdom and Brazil are working on several proposed accords, including one between the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) and Central Bank of Brazil (BCB). He said that SAMA is interested in the Brazilian experience of banking correspondents, like post offices and supermarkets acting as banks.

“This is an area in which Brazil is a world leader,” Flavio noted. “In June 2016, a BCB mission came to Riyadh for a detailed presentation of the Brazilian model, and discussion of the format and content of a bilateral agreement on technical cooperation, based on the exchange of experiences in regulation and supervision of bank correspondents.

“At present, both parties are negotiating the terms and conditions of such bilateral cooperation,” he added.

“Once concluded, the project will be ready to be signed, ideally in the second half of 2017,” said the diplomat, adding that Brazil is currently negotiating several other agreements with Saudi Arabia.

He pointed out that some of the proposed agreements under negotiation include an accord on peaceful use of nuclear energy, an agreement on long-term business visas, an accord on promotion and facilitation of investment, and a cooperation agreement between the Secretariat of Federal Revenue and Saudi Customs.

On cooperation in the field of education, he said that education is one of the areas in which there is a great potential for bilateral cooperation.

“As part of the cooperation in defense education, in 2016, a Saudi officer from the Royal Saudi Land Forces participated in international course on strategic studies in Rio de Janeiro,” said the envoy. This year, three Saudi cadets will study at the Brazilian Army National Academy as part of the increasing bilateral cooperation, he added.

Flavio said the Kingdom and Brazil have identical approaches on many regional and international issues of mutual concern. He said Brazil supports the two-state solution with Israel and Palestine coexisting in peace and security, based on international law and on borders based on 1967 lines, which are internationally recognized and mutually agreed upon.

“We are against the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, as we believe it suffocates the local economy and makes it difficult to provide humanitarian assistance,” he added. The diplomat said that “the current paralysis of the peace negotiations is unsustainable and we therefore support the resumption of serious negotiations in good faith between the Israelis and Palestinians.”

Brazil is always ready to collaborate with the peace negotiations, he added. The diplomat said that Brazil and Syria have longstanding historical ties. In 2013, the Brazilian National Council for Refugees (CONARE) approved a resolution to grant visas for humanitarian reasons to people affected by the Syrian conflict showing their intention to seek refuge in Brazil, he said.

“To date, more than 9,000 visas on a humanitarian basis have been issued, and 2,500 refugees have completed the eligibility procedure to enter Brazil with their refugee status duly recognized by CONARE,” said the envoy.

He also said that Brazil has received more than 10,500 refugees from different countries since 2013.