Brazilian diplomats to meet in Turkey next week

Brazilian diplomats and ambassadors to the Middle East, the Gulf and Africa have chosen to meet in Turkey next week. More than 20 Brazilian ambassadors will meet in Istanbul on Feb. 25 and 26 to discuss regional developments. Brazilian External Relations Minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and many senior officials of the ministry will attend the conference. As an honorary guest, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will address the gathering of Brazilian ambassadors and diplomats. The Brazilian ambassador to Turkey, Marcelo Jardim, in comments to Today's Zaman said: 'The decision to have the conference in Istanbul is the natural consequence of the strong cooperation and partnership between the two countries." Not only is Istanbul one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it also has the logistical facilities to make the city ideal for conferences, Jardim said. Jardim went on to describe the two countries' relations as 'very friendly and warm." According to Jardim, Brazilian ambassadors to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon will attend the regional conference in Istanbul. In addition, Brazil's permanent representatives to the UN in New York and Geneva will join next week. Turkey and Brazil are both powers that have been rising on the world stage in recent decades in terms of their economic and foreign policy. Trade and political consultations between the two countries are always progressing, according to Jardim. In terms of policy, Turkey and Brazil overlap on many issues and interests. Brazil has given strong support to the Turkey and Spain-founded Alliance of Civilizations project. Despite the great geographic distance between the two countries, there has been a significant increase in the number of reciprocal official visits made.