Negotiations between Mercosur and Canada to close a free trade agreement are "intense" and could be finalized by 2020. This was the information brought to the Senate Foreign Relations and National Defense Commission (CRE) by diplomat Pedro Henrique Lopes Borio last Thursday (24), when he was sabbathed and had his name approved to head the Brazilian embassy in Canada.

"Interestingly, the Canadian negotiating coordinator, David Usher, should occupy a prominent place in the newly re-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office. This shows the importance that Canada attaches to Mercosur as they want to lessen their dependence on the US economy. They want to diversify their trade. But this deal is also of major relevance to Brazil. It will open Canada's government procurement market for us, which comes to $ 300 billion. $ 1.2 trillion] a year, "said Borio.

For the diplomat, Brazil has shrunk in recent years regarding the international insertion of its companies. But he sees real potential for engineering and heavy equipment companies, or others that already have a good international foothold such as Embraer and Weg, take advantage of the deal to deepen business in Canada.

"The closing of the agreement should boost investments mutually, we are nations that have affinities with each other. Canada already has a stock of investments that reaches US $ 15 billion in Brazil. And I admit that did not know that the stock of investments of Brazilians in the Canada is already US $ 30 billion, with the caveat that US $ 10 billion comes from accounts in tax havens controlled by Brazilians. These are significant amounts, but there are concrete conditions for these investments to be much greater mutually, "he said. from the "Senate Agency".

Senator Chico Rodrigues (DEM-RR) stressed that the Brazilian government is currently working on drafting a new regulatory framework for the exploration of mineral resources in the country. He urged Borio to prioritize attracting Canadian companies' investments to this sector in Brazil due to their high expertise. The examination of the diplomat's appointment now goes to the Senate floor.

Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka 

CRE also approved the nominations of diplomats Rubem Antonio Correa Barbosa for the head of the Brazilian embassy in Kazakhstan, cumulatively with the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan, and Sergio Luiz Canaes for the head of the Brazilian embassy in Sri Lanka, cumulatively with the Republic from the Maldives.

On Saturday, Barbosa noted that Kazakhstan is one of the fastest growing countries in the world today, thanks to the exploitation of its "absurd nature reserves".

"It is a country that has been experiencing extraordinary development since the year 2000. They are extremely rich in resources, are already among the largest reserves of oil and uranium in the world. Kazakhstan is already the largest exporter of uranium in the world, it even exports to us. "But they also have absurd reserves of barite, tungsten, silver, diamonds and coal. And they sell 1.3 million barrels of oil a day," he said.

Already Canaes said it intends to resume sugar exports from Brazil to Sri Lanka. This trade was halted in 2016 after authorities in the Asian country found 300 kilograms of cocaine stashed in a sugar container from Brazil, in what was the largest drug seizure in the nation's history.

The breakdown of trade led to the fact that in 2018, for the first time in history, Brazil registered a deficit in bilateral trade with Sri Lanka. Drug trafficking is considered a serious crime in this country and can lead to life imprisonment. Today three Brazilians are being held in Sri Lanka for the crime, and the Brazilian embassy is negotiating their extradition. Now analyzes of nominations by diplomats Barbosa and Canaes also follow the Senate Plenary.