Ignacio De La Torre on microfinance: “It is profitable and sustainable”
ByTheEast: As the founder of Financieros sin Fronteras, you have a wide angle about how foreign countries run their monetary system, about microfinance. How would you compare Spain with other Mediterranean countries?
De la Torre:...
Nadim Houry on Lebanon: “The public sphere is left to rot”
ByTheEast: Since 2011, the Arab countries followed different paths. What have they in common in 2020?
Nadim Houry: The Arab world and the MENA region are plunged into...
Rubens Hannun on Brazilian trade: “Closeness with Arab countries is strategic”
ByTheEast: The Câmara de Comércio Árabe-Brasileira (CCAB, Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce) was founded 67 years ago. Times were different then. What was its mission initially? How did it evolve?
Jacques Sarraf on Lebanon-Russia: “We need to establish strategic relations”
ByTheEast: How old are the bounds between Lebanon and Russia?
Jacques Sarraf: The first contact between Russia and the Lebanese population dates back to the reign of Tsar Ivan IV, who decided to support the...
Lynn Maalouf on death penalty: “Lebanon could play a role model”
ByTheEast: Let’s begin by getting a general overview of the human rights
scene in Lebanon. Do you see any signs of progress over the last 10 years?
Lynn Maalouf:...
Guilherme Casarões on Brazil: “Trade relationships with the Middle East are not easy”
ByTheEast: Brazil was a net importer of agricultural products in the 1970s. It now ranks among the world’s five largest agricultural producers and exporters. Can it overtake the others?
Guilherme Casarões: Brazil has come a...
Tom Butler on mining sector: “We are expected to do good not just do well”
ByTheEast: ICMM focuses on mining companies’ values, such as sustainable development and CSR (Corporate social responsibility). How can you help them to improve their policy?
Tom Butler: ICMM...
Tatiana Weber on Egypt: “Education is the top priority”
ByTheEast: According to a report published by the World Economic Forum, Egypt’s economy ranks 11th in the Middle East. How can you explain this bad ranking?
Weber: In the 2017-2018 Global Competitiveness Index published by...
Karim Daoud on sustainable agriculture: “We should respect our Mediterranean diet”
ByTheEast: A transition towards sustainable agriculture in Tunisia is crucial. But Tunisian agricultural income, which usually represents 11% of its GDP, has shrunk to 9%. What are the reasons for this...
Fadia Safi on financing NGOs: “We don’t want to shut Sesobel’s door”
ByTheEast: At the beginning of June 2019, you had announced you would be closing the gates of Sesobel on June 28, and that you would not be taking new applications because...