Syrian Arabic Republic

The Syrian community established in Brazil, estimated at 4 million people, is an important element of the bilateral relationship. Diplomatic relations were established in 1945. The Legation of Brazil in Damascus was opened in 1951 and elevated to Embassy status in 1961. There are bilateral agreements in effect in the areas of health, agriculture, tourism, sports and culture.

The last bilateral contact at presidential level dates back to June 2010, when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited Brazil. Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria,  few bilateral visits have taken place. In 2012, the Political and Press Advisor to Syria’s president, Minister Bouthaina Chaaban, visited Brazil, when she met with Vice President Michel Temer, in São Paulo. At the parliamentary level, in January 2018, a delegation of Brazilian federal deputies traveled on a mission to Syria to meet with members of the Brazil-Syria Parliamentary Group of Friends. In addition to visiting the cities of Damascus, Maaloula and Saidnaya, the delegation met  with representatives of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce. In November 2018, Senator Fernando Collor de Mello, the then President of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Commission of the Federal Senate, visited Syria and met with President Assad.

The Brazilian government has helped to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Syria. Since 2011, nearly $6million have been donated by the Brazilian government in humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population. In June 2023, an additional donation of $100,000 was announced. In 2019, the Brazilian government approved an interministerial ordinance that simplifies the granting of temporary visas for humanitarian reception to people affected by the conflict in Syria, exempting this group from paying fees.

Recent figures on bilateral economic relations show the impact of the conflict on Syrian trade exchanges and, in particular, on trade between Syria and Brazil. In 2010, before the crisis arose, trade flow had reached a record high of $594.8 million, about 250% over the bilateral trade since 2006. In 2022, trade exchange between Brazil and Syria totaled $20.3 million with a high Brazilian surplus of $14.1 million.

Chronology of bilateral relations

1876 ​​- D. Pedro II visits Syria, then part of the Ottoman Empire

1945 - Establishment of diplomatic relations

1951 - Brazil opens a Legation in Damascus

1961 - Establishment of the Brazilian Embassy in Damascus

1997 - Signing of the Cultural and Educational Cooperation Agreement

2003 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visits Syria

Signing of the Sports Cooperation Agreement

2005 – Foreign Minister Celso Amorim visits Damascus

Syrian Prime Minister Mohamad Naji Otri visits Brasília

The Minister of Economy of Syria, Amer Lutfi, visits Brazil

2006 - Minister of Education Fernando Haddad visits Damascus

Minister of the Environment Helal Al Atrach visits Brazil

The Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency of the Republic, General Jorge Armando Félix, visits Syria

2007 - The Syrian Minister of Information, Mohsen Bilal, visits Brazil

2008 – Foreign Minister Celso Amorim visits Damascus

2009 - Foreign Minister Celso Amorim visits Damascus

2010 - Foreign Minister Celso Amorim visits Damascus

2011 - President Bashar Al-Assad visits Brasília

IBSA mission to Damascus

2012 - The Political and Press Advisor to the President of Syria, Minister Bouthaina Charabã, visits Brazil

2018 – A Delegation of Brazilian federal deputies visits Syria

Senator Fernando Collor de Mello, President of the Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee of the Federal Senate, visits Syria