MERCOSUR AND SYRIA SCHEDULED TO BEGIN TRADE NEGOTIATIONS AT NEXT SUMMIT

Montevideo, December 7- Mercosur and Syria are scheduled to sign an agreement to begin trade negotiations at the group’s next summit in Brazil, December 15, according to official sources in Damascus. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad earlier this year visited South America to promote trade and political links, particularly with Brazil that has a large Syrian community.

Bashar al-Assad received last week a letter from Brazilian President Lula da Silva of Brazil on bilateral relations and the steps taken to complete the signature of trade agreement with Mercosur, according to the Syrian news agency SANA.

The letter was handed by Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Trade Miguel Jorge Filho during his meeting with President al-Assad. Talks during the meeting dealt with the joint Syrian-Brazilian forum and the role of businessmen in increasing the volume of trade and expanding mutual investments. Political developments in the Middle East and South America were also part of the talks.

In the same context, Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri discussed with Miguel Jorge Filho increasing the trade volume and establishing developmental projects in the fields of transport, agriculture, food industries, oil, gas and electricity energy.

President al-Assad visited Brazil (within his tour in Latin America which included Venezuela, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina) and discussed with Lula da Silva bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments and situation in the region, especially in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Five agreements were signed at the time in the fields of health, agriculture and judicial and technical cooperation in addition to the possibility of signing a free trade zone between Syria and the Mercosur block.

In a statement to SANA, Minister Miguel Jorge Filho described his meeting with President al-Assad as ‘good and useful’. He said that during the meeting the December 15 Mercosur Summit and the framework agreement to be signed for beginning negotiations was considered.

The Brazilian minister underlined the importance of the Syrian-Brazilian Business Council which was launched earlier this month and indicated his country is keen on strengthening the economic ties with Syria, considered a gate to Arab countries as Brazil is Syria's gate into South American countries.

Miguel Jorge Filho pointed out that the Syrian community in Brazil, whose number is estimated at 2 million play a significant role in pushing forwards bilateral relations.

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