São Paulo – Libya wants to resume business and projects with Brazilian companies which operated in the country before the social conflicts that led to the ousting of the then president Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011. The information comes from Khaled Dahan, ambassador of the Arab country, who had several meetings with Brazilian businessmen this week, in São Paulo, and also visited the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce’s office this Thursday (6th).
Dahan had meetings with representatives of JBS (a food company), Queiroz Galvão (a construction company) and BRF (a food company). According to him, these companies had projects in Libya or conducted business with the country from Brazil.
“The projects stopped since the revolution of 2011, due to the war and conflicts with the previous regime. But now our country is free and we came here to see these companies, to know about their problems, if they had losses and what they need to carry out their projects there,” explained the diplomat to ANBA. Before the interview, Dahan was welcomed at the Arab Chamber by Marcelo Sallum, the organization’s president, and Michel Alaby, CEO.
Libya has been suffering with frequent conflicts in its territory and the country has not reached political stability or a safe environment to lure international companies yet.
According to Dahan, the Brazilian companies showed interest in resuming business with Libya as soon as the political and safety issues of the country are solved. “We promised the companies we have visited here in São Paulo that, as soon as it is convenient for them to return and carry out their projects, we will let them know. The companies said that as soon as we call them, they will go back,” he explained.
“We expect this to happen soon. We hope that, with the combined efforts of the Libyan people, of our neighbouring countries and of the United Nations, we will soon be able to see some stability and the companies will return,” the ambassador pointed out.
According to the diplomat, the lingering conflicts in the country are a consequence of several weapons being left behind by the previous regime, as they were picked up by rebel groups. He, however, denies the information published by international news agencies that, currently, there are two governments in Libya, the official one and a parallel government, comprised of militia groups. “Libya is a single country with a sole government, it does not have two governments nor is it two countries. But there are news and media centres which are trying to make the problem look bigger,” he said.
“We are optimistic that our country will soon be stabilized and better. That is why I am seeking to strengthen ties and see how we can benefit from the experience of Brazil and its companies in several different fields,” said Dahan, reinforcing his intention of creating closer ties with Brazil.
Dahan also said Libya is an oil exporting country and it is very rich in natural resources. “We came here to improve Libya’s image. I want to say to all Brazilian companies and businessmen that they do not need to worry, they just need to be a little patient because problems arise after changing any kind of regime, particularly after a revolution. As soon as possible, our country will be in a good situation, it will be safe and the environment will be favourable for foreign companies to come and do their business,” he concluded.
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
