The President of the Republic called on Tuesday for the fight for democracy and human dignity, saying that “it will have to be won” in the face of attacks on these values throughout the world, including on the European continent.
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza left this message at the ceremony of presenting the 2023 Council of Europe North-South Prize to Moroccan human rights activist Amina Bouayach and the university network of the Global Campus for Human Rights in the Senate chamber of the Assembly of the Republic.
According to the head of state, the difference in the work of these two prize winners “is a recognition that there is still room for defending the values of the Council of Europe.”
“It recognizes that, despite attacks on these values around the world, including on our continent, the fight for democracy and human dignity is not lost and will have to be won,” he said.
“We can all contribute to the project of a better world. Let’s not miss this opportunity. This is more than the call of this time, it is the mission of a lifetime,” added the President of the Republic.
In his speech, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that after April 25, 1974, the consolidation of Portuguese democracy had “the invaluable support of the Council of Europe, which, not coincidentally, Portugal joined soon after thanks to Mário Soares.” end of 1976.”
“Even during the revolution and the work of the Constituent Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was visited by a delegation of the same Constituent Assembly – a delegation in which I had the honor of being the youngest deputy,” he recalled.
The head of state noted that since then “the Council of Europe, celebrating the 75th anniversary of its existence, has learned to adapt and develop in order to respond to constant challenges in Europe and beyond,” and that “today, when there is war, aggression on the European continent and The complex and dramatic situation in the Middle East makes its role even more important.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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