Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Nuno Sampaio announced in Bissau on Tuesday the Portuguese government’s readiness to work with Guinea-Bissau to strengthen bilateral relations.
The government official arrived in Bissau on Tuesday for a three-day visit that began with a courtesy meeting with Guinean President Oumaro Sissoko Embalo.
The Secretary of State considered it “very important” that he was received by the head of state, understanding the gesture as evidence of the “strong relationship between Guinea-Bissau and Portugal” based on “great mutual respect between the two countries.”
Nuno Sampaio, who spoke to reporters after the meeting at the Presidential Palace, said that with this visit he intends to show that “the Portuguese government is ready to work together with the government of Guinea-Bissau.”
This work aims to further strengthen cooperation in several areas that have brought results through projects on the ground, especially in the fields of health, education, defense or sovereign bodies such as justice, he said.
The Portuguese Secretary of State said that Guinea-Bissau is a partner in a space that Portugal “highly values”, namely the Lusophonic space, with the rotating presidency of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) expected to be secured next year by the Guinean state.
“But Portugal is also a member of the European Union and can always be a bridge between Africa and the European Union and in particular between Guinea-Bissau, actively attracting more projects,” he added.
The official added that “Portugal is very committed to the CPLP mobility agreement,” in particular “that this agreement can work in consular relations even more adequately, so that mobility under the CPLP is in fact a reality.”
During the three-day visit, the Foreign Minister scheduled meetings with several members of the Guinea-Bissau government, including Prime Minister Rui de Barros.
Nuno Sampaio will also visit Portuguese organizations and cooperation projects, namely the land where the Portuguese school will be built, designed a few years ago for a country where Creole is the most widely spoken language among the population.
The Portuguese language is for the Secretary of State a “strategic element of cooperation” between Portugal and Guinea-Bissau, present in other ongoing projects, while the Portuguese school is still “in its infancy,” he noted.
According to him, this is “a very important project to strengthen both the development of the Portuguese language and cultural ties between Portugal and Guinea-Bissau.”
“The Portuguese state is very interested in making this Portuguese school a reality here in Guinea-Bissau,” he said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.