By Abdullah Al Hatila

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

ABHA — Brazil's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Marcelo Souza praised the way Saudi Arabia dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.

"Compared to other countries of the world, Saudi Arabia has done a very wonderful job, preferring people’s lives over economic gains, and vaccination campaigns are going on very nicely in the Kingdom.

Diplomats and foreigners, in general, say that they are fortunate to be in the Kingdom during this pandemic, thanks to the highly professional handling of the problem,” he said in an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

Souza said diplomats are generally appreciating the massive developments being witnessed in the Kingdom. “The size of the projects carried out by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman is very huge, and I am fortunate to be in the Kingdom for the last two years. I consider that I came at the right time as I began to notice the size of the change, which is amazing, and had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic, we might have seen greater than what we have seen in a very short period of time,” he said noting, “It is very nice to see a country that has a plan, and the most beautiful people who interact with the vision, and the work, in the end, will be amazing.”

Souza said that his country condemns and denounces the missile and booby-trapped drone attacks launched by the Houthi militia against the Kingdom.

He described what Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman did in a short period of time and that contributed to achieving unprecedented progress in the Kingdom as amazing.

“The Kingdom is making tremendous efforts to guarantee and preserve human rights, citing the general movement in all aspects, including women empowerment and opening up to the world,” he said while stressing that the relations between the two countries have strengthened over the years.

The envoy highlighted the significance of relations between the two countries, saying the Kingdom is an important partner for Brazil in the field of trade.

“The import and export are common between the two countries, and the volume of trade exchange is estimated at $5 billion in the year 2020, which is considered as catastrophic worldwide due to the pandemic. When the economy recovers the level of the volume of exchange is expected to reach $6 billion,” he added.