The Prime Minister said this Wednesday in Bissau that it is “always a pleasure” to be with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and stressed the importance of being together in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the independence of Guinea-Bissau.
António Costa traveled to Guinea-Bissau on a Portuguese Air Force KC-390, which arrived at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport at around 19:00.
Upon exiting the plane, the Prime Minister was received on the tarmac by the head of the Civil Chamber of the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Soares Sambu. After that, he was met in the airport hall by the President of Guinea, Umaro Sissoko Embalo, with whom he talked.
Shortly afterwards, speaking to reporters alongside Guinean Foreign Minister Carlos Pinto Pereira, António Costa said “this is a very important visit” and refrained from commenting on the current political situation in Portugal following his resignation from office. Prime Minister.
Asked about the decision to take over the management of infrastructure after the dismissal of Minister João Galamba and the state of his relationship with the President of the Republic, António Costa, replied: “We are not going to talk about internal political issues, but it is always nice to be with the President of the Republic.”
“But above all, it is important to be here with the authorities of Guinea-Bissau, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, celebrating the 50th anniversary of independence,” he added.
When asked whether he regretted the decisions he made after Operation Influencer, given the developments in this trial, Antonio Costa refused to make any comments: “I admire your persistence, but let’s stick to what what did you bring us here? which means the 50th anniversary of Guinea-Bissau.”
Guinea-Bissau was the first Portuguese colony in Africa to gain independence. Independence was declared unilaterally on September 24, 1973, after a decade of armed struggle.
The United Nations immediately recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau, and Portugal only a year later, in September 1974, after April 25.
António Costa said that “Portugal only recognized the independence of Guinea-Bissau after 25 April” when “more than 90 countries had already done so” and expressed “great satisfaction” at the official celebration of this fiftieth anniversary. , on Thursday, in Bissau.
“50 years ago we were still fighting each other, the Portuguese and the Guineans. Today, fortunately, 50 years later, we live in peace, we live in freedom, we live in democracy,” he emphasized.
The Prime Minister described the liberation of Guinea-Bissau as a “parallel struggle” to the struggle against the dictatorship in Portugal, and a factor that contributed to the events of April 25, 1974: “The struggle of African peoples against colonialism made a very important contribution to our own liberation from dictatorship, and liberation from dictatorship also accelerated this independence.”
“This double liberation from dictatorship and colonialism is a very significant moment, and it is what has allowed us to reinvent the relationship with these countries, with these people, in freedom and democracy,” he continued.
António Costa welcomed the fact that today there are “brotherly relations and close cooperation” between Portugal and these countries.
“And that is why it is with great pleasure that I am here, the President of the Republic, who will soon arrive to celebrate this liberation together,” he said.
The Prime Minister resigned on November 7 in connection with a judicial investigation into the installation of a data center in Sines and the lithium and hydrogen business, leading the Ministry of Justice to launch an independent investigation in the Supreme Court of Justice. it is targeted.
Faced with this decision, which he had made, the President of the Republic announced that he would dissolve parliament and call early legislative elections for March 10.
However, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decided to postpone the official resignation of the government, which is carried out by decree, in order to ensure the final approval of the state budget for 2023, scheduled for November 29, and its entry into force. Only in this case will the executive power be limited to managerial actions.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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