Lula expresses surprise at the subsidiary and says that Prates has a fertile mind

In a press conference this Sunday morning, in Dubai, where he participated in COP 28, President Lula said that the president of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, has a “fertile mind, at Formula 1 speed”, referring to the announcement made by Prates about the possibility of opening an oil company unit in the Middle East.

Lula said he was not informed about the opening of Petrobras Arabia. “I was not informed that people are going to create a Petrobras here [no Oriente Médio]. Like his head [Jean Paul Prates] It’s very fertile, and he thinks at Formula 1 speed, and I work at Volkswagen speed, I need to learn what he’s going to do”, said the president.

“Petrobras will not stop prospecting for oil. It is important to remember this. Because fossil fuel will still function for a long time in the world economy. But, at the same time, Petrobras will transform itself into not just an oil company, but a that will take care of energy as a whole”, said Lula.

Responding to questions from journalists, Lula also said that he will talk to Prates upon his return to Brazil. The president of Petrobras said at the end of the week, in an interview with Bloomberg News, that the company should begin studies this month to set up a subsidiary aimed at strengthening commercial ties in the Persian Gulf region.

Currently, Brazil produces more than 3 million barrels of oil per day, approximately the same as Iran and the United Arab Emirates, OPEC member countries. During the COP, the government announced that Brazil will join OPEC+, a group that brings together the 13 OPEC countries, plus ten other observer countries, without voting rights.

The president also commented on the apparent nonsense of participating in an oil bloc in the image of an environmental power propagated by the country. “Brazil will never be an effective member of OPEC because we don’t want to. Now, what we want is to influence,” he stated.

“The observer goes to listen and comes to give an opinion. And why is it important for Brazil to participate? It’s true that we need to reduce fossil fuel, but it’s true that we need to create an alternative. So, before it ends, you need to offer giving humanity an option. Participation in OPEC+ is for us to discuss the need to invest some of our money to help poor countries on the African continent, Latin America and Asia”, added Lula.