Brazilian President Lula da Silva is scheduled to attend the 50th anniversary dinner on April 25 at the official residence of the Portuguese Embassy in Brasilia.
The information was provided to Lusa on Tuesday by an official source from the Brazilian Highlands.
On 11 April, also in statements by Luse, official Brazilian sources indicated that the Brazilian President would not be present in Portugal for the 50th anniversary celebrations on 25 April in Parliament, with Brazil expected to be represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Thus, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira will represent Brazil in place of the Brazilian head of state, who attended the Assembly of the Republic on April 25 last year, an event shrouded in controversy.
In February 2023, then-Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho, during a trip to Brasilia, announced that Lula da Silva would speak at the ceremonial meeting marking the 49th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution.
However, following criticism from the majority of Portuguese parliamentarians and the then President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, who said that the decision would be made after hearing a conference of leaders, the Brazilian head of state did not speak or attend the official meeting on April 25.
Instead, on the same day, the Assembly of the Republic hosted a welcoming session of Lula da Silva, which preceded the official meeting on 25 April and was marked by a protest from the Chega party during the speech of the Brazilian President.
Lula da Silva devalued the protest, believing that “when people have nothing to show,” they turn “this ridiculous scene” into “cardboard.”
“Sometimes I regret it because when people have nothing to do, to show up, people make this ridiculous scene. Honestly, I don’t know how these people are going to go home, look at their children, look at their parents and say they were at a meeting,” he said.
In turn, the President of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic warned that “no more insults and disgrace to the name of Portugal” after deputies from Andre Ventura’s party raised placards during a speech by the head of state of Brazil.
Lula da Silva was in Portugal from 21 to 25 April to attend the summit between the two nations and sign the 2019 Chico Buarque Camões Prize diploma.
This year, the heads of state of Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Portuguese-Language African Countries (PALOP) and Timor-Leste will attend the Lisbon session, reminiscent of April 25. .