Jamaica–Brazil relations
Encyclopedia
  |
|
| colspan=2 align=center | | |
| style="width:50%;" | | style="width:50%;" | |
Brazil-Jamaica relations are foreign relations between Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Jamaica and Brazil established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1962. Both countries are full members of the Group of 15
Group of 15
The Group of 15 was established at the Ninth Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in September 1989.This informal forum was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of Eight...
.
Brazil’s Ambassador to Jamaica is His Excellency Ambassador Alexandre Ruben Milito Gueiros (since January 2008). The Government of Jamaica is interested in establishing a diplomatic mission in Brasilia
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
which would contribute to strengthening the relations between both countries. Presently Jamaica is represented in Brazil by an Honorary Consul, Mrs. Maria Pia Fauhabar Bastos-Tigre, Attorney-at-Law, located in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, the major business centre of the country. The Government of Jamaica is currently giving serious consideration to the appointment of Honorary Consuls in the Brazilian cities of Salvador
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, (State of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
) and Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
, (State of Amazonas), which are located in the North and Eastern regions of Brazil, respectively.
The move is justified by the following reasons:
1. Jamaican nationals residing in Bahia and Amazonas would benefit from having a Jamaican representative in those regions.
2. Jamaica is currently developing a strategy to attract investments from Brazil, as well as promoting export opportunities for Jamaican products.
3. Brazil’s strength in the creative industries, specifically in the State of Bahia and its proximity to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
sea renders it a good air link connection point.
4. Salvador and Bahia shares a cultural affinity with Jamaica and is regarded as the cultural hub of Brazil.
Jamaica and Brazil have enjoyed strong relations over the years and the extent of collaboration is evident both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. At the bilateral level, relations have between further enhanced in recent times as a result of the increased number of high and technical level visits, as well as, the active pursuit of technical cooperation programmes in areas such as energy and agriculture.