Admiral Flávio Rocha, Presidential Secretary of Strategic Affairs, set off on a trip to Iraq on Wednesday (December 18th). In addition to oil, the visit is of direct commercial interest to the national defense industry, which is keen to expand sales of war equipment to that country. The government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) is also taking action to strengthen ties between small arms companies and Iraqis.
The Iraqi government is seeking new arms supply partners. The desire of that country to equip its police force with light weapons is known in the international market. The first arms manufacturer, the second in ammunition, Taurus, and companies such as CBC may be accredited for this market.
The delegation, headed by Admiral Rocha, will travel to Morocco, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Iraq. The trip will start this Wednesday and will last until 7 June. At the end of the Middle East tour, the Brazilian delegation will visit Hungary and the Czech Republic, two countries with which the Bolsonaro government maintains good relations.
economic area
The trip is watched with reservations by the government’s economic department. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes’ team wants the government to prioritize contacts with OECD member states at the moment. However, Planalto thinks the visit will not have diplomatic ramifications, as the majority of countries currently have an interest in doing business with Iraq.
Currently, Brazil’s imports from Iraq are limited to oil. Exports are concentrated in sugar and poultry, beef and livestock. In the 1980s, Iraq was one of the main buyers of military vehicles manufactured by Engesa, such as the Urutu and Cascavel. Brazil also commercialized Astros rockets, and there would still be military vehicles as well as old Brazilian launchers that needed modernisation.
The possibility of President Jair Bolsonaro personally attending this visit was even discussed at the Palácio do Planalto. In this case, the trip would turn into a state visit and an agenda would definitely be formed with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi.
At the end of last year, Bolsonaro planned his visit to Baghdad, but the idea was canceled due to lack of security, among other reasons. On the eve of the Brazilian mission, the prime minister was the target of a drone attack. He survived the attack on his residence.
At the time, Bolsonaro was out of Brazil for almost a week. In November he toured the Middle East and visited Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The promotion of war materials made in Brazil was one of the highlights of the Arab countries tour.
In Planalto, Bolsonaro’s close contact with Iraqi leaders and countries in conflict is considered diplomatically valuable due to Brazil’s presence in the United Nations Security Council. He has been to Arab nations in the Middle East twice and once to Israel.
After an ideological convergence in the 2018 campaign, the president sought to balance relations with Arabs for fear of commercial retaliation for the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and pledged to hand over the Brazilian embassy, which was never fulfilled. In Tel Aviv.. Bolsonaro also seizes opportunities to see countries such as Kuwait, among others. The countries of the region are in search of agricultural development and diversification of their economies.
historical partner
Iraq is considered a historic partner of Brazil, and last year, Prime Minister Kadhimi agreed with US President Joe Biden to end US troops’ involvement in conflicts in the country where they are fighting against ISIS. The US military, which has existed since the 2003 invasion when dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown, will also continue to provide assistance and training to the Iraqi Army in partnership with the Brazilian Armed Forces.
Most agendas are recommended by the Department of Defense Products, under the Department of Defense, in consultation with the Department of Strategic Affairs. In a commercial strategy, Marcos Degaut, current Secretary of Defense Products, will be the next Brazilian ambassador in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Social Communication Special Secretariat said that it had no information about the agenda asked about going to Iraq. The Strategic Affairs Secretariat and the Ministry of Defense did not respond.
Bolsonaro’s government began on January 1, 2019, with the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro (later in PSL) and vice president, General Hamilton Mourão (PRTB). During his tenure, Bolsonaro left the PSL and remained partyless. The participation of ministries in the army is high. Bolsonaro is putting his political alliance into tradition among the right and conservatives.
source: Noticias
