League of Arab States
The League of Arab States (LAS) was established on March 22, 1945. Today, the organization has 22 members. They are: Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Syria (suspended), Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia.
The Permanent Delegation of the League of Arab States in Brazil was opened in 1956 and had its diplomatic status recognized in 1975. It was closed in 1995 and, in 2005, the General Secretariat of the LAS announced the decision to reopen the League's Mission in Brasilia and appoint a resident representative. In January 2009, Decree No. 6,733 enacted the Headquarters Agreement between Brazil and the LAS, allowing the reopening of its building in Brasilia. The LAS has only one other mission in Latin America, located in Buenos Aires. Since 2014, by decision of the LAS Council, the Ambassador of Brazil in Cairo is formally accredited as Brazil's representative to the organization.
In 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on political consultations between Brazil and the LAS was signed on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. Since the instrument was signed, three meetings have been held: in Brasilia (2016), Cairo (2018) and, by videoconference, in December 2020. The Third Meeting of the Consultation Mechanism addressed the efforts to combat the pandemics of COVID-19 and relations between Brazil and Arab countries, with a focus on cooperation on social and cultural issues, and on economic cooperation. Moreover, evaluations were exchanged on the regional contexts of each party and the future perspectives of the bilateral relationship.
Brazil has a surplus in trade relations with the countries that make up the LAS. In 2019, the most exported products by Brazil were sugar, chicken meat, frozen chicken meat, iron ore, corn and beef. These items accounted for about 70% of exports. Imports from Brazil consisted mainly of mineral fuels (petroleum and its derivatives) and fertilizers (fertilizers), accounting for about 80% of the total amount spent. Trade exchange totaled $ 19,254 billion, with Brazil having exported $ 12,243 billion and imported $ 7,011 billion.
In 2020, due to difficulties arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Brazil's exports were $11.436 billion, about 6.5% less than the previous year, and imports were US$5.376 billion, down about 23%. Brazilian sugar was the most demanded product, followed by chicken meat, iron ore, corn and beef. The performance of exports keeps the group of LAS countries among the largest trading partnerships of Brazil abroad, and confirms the region as a strategic destination for Brazilian agribusiness exports, whose products are highlighted in the export agenda.