DUBAI- Sao Paulo’s Trade Promotion Office in Dubai, which opened a few months ago, made a "great impact" in terms of trade and investment relations between the Brazilian state and the Middle East, the state’s top official told Emirates News Agency (WAM).

"Well, the impact [of Dubai office] is great and very positive. We started a new business here with investors in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We have very positive results in exports and they are growing. The exports from Sao Paulo to the Middle East through Dubai’s ports [seaport and airports] are growing," said Joao Doria, the Governor of Sao Paulo.

In an interview at Brazil Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, he added that the Dubai office has facilitated the flow of investments from the UAE to Sao Paulo’s infrastructure sector, especially highways, metros, seaports and airports. The figures of these investments were not readily available to the governor.

Sao Paulo's Trade Promotion Office was opened in Dubai in February 2020, during Doria’s first official visit to the UAE. Dubai was the second overseas office opened by the state; the first one was established in Shanghai in China in August 2019. With a 45 million population, Sao Paulo is the fourth-largest consumer market in Latin America behind Brazil as a whole, Mexico and Colombia.

The governor added that the Dubai office has been instrumental in enhancing business and leisure travel between Latin America and the Middle East through Emirates Airline, which resumed its direct flight from Sunday between Sao Paulo and Dubai.

The Expo 2020 Dubai will help further increase the tourist traffic to Brazil, Doria said, adding, "The Sao Paulo week at Brazil Pavilion at Expo was very impressive." To date, Sao Paulo has attracted at Expo 2020 US$197 million worth of deals as new investments, the Brazilian Embassy to the UAE said.

This is Doria's second official visit to the UAE although he had already visited the Emirates five times earlier.

"This is like my country. I have many friends here and I always want to come back. I feel at home here because the people are very friendly. They love Brazilians and Brazilians love them," said Doria who came with a 42-member business delegation.

The delegation attended the Sharjah-Sao Paulo Business Forum on Wednesday, organised by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

The forum highlighted joint investment opportunities, encouraged cooperation and partnerships in various economic sectors, and provided an opportunity for more than 100 businesspersons in the two countries to meet and discuss the potential cooperation.

 

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2021.