Portugal’s Foreign Minister (MNE) will meet on Tuesday with the executive secretary and diplomatic representatives of the Community of Portuguese-Language Countries (CPLP) member states in Lisbon, an official source at the ministry told Lusa.
The source did not reveal the topics on the agenda, but according to diplomatic sources associated with the CPLP, the lunch will be preceded by a meeting between the minister and the organization’s executive secretary, Zacarias da Costa, and one of the items on the agenda. Visa changes will be possible for citizens of CPLP member countries in Portugal.
The initiative came from Minister Paulo Rangel, who invited Sacarias da Costa and the ambassadors of nine CPLP countries to Lisbon for lunch, an official source at the MNE said, but stressed that the agenda was “not public.”
This invitation from INE comes after the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, José Cesário, announced on May 13 that the entry of CPLP immigrants into Portugal would be “more demanding.”
On a work-seeking visa, “the person will have to demonstrate that they are able to survive in Portugal while they look for work,” he said.
This development prompted the Socialist Party to demand a parliamentary hearing on Minister Paulo Rangel, which was approved this week but a date has not yet been set.
For the PS, this is a “central issue” of foreign policy that “may have implications for the functioning of the CPLP and the relations between its member states.”
In a request to appear in parliament, the socialists believe that the government’s statement “does not really clarify its consequences” and that is why they want Paulo Rangel to present clarifications to parliament “with the utmost urgency”, “so able to fully assess the consequences of what has been announced “
Moreover, following the recent cooperation agreement signed between Sao Tome and Principe, a CPLP member state, and Russia, disagreements have arisen regarding the relationship between the countries of this community and the Russian Federation, which has also led to a request for hearings by the MNE in parliament.
Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste are the nine countries that make up the CPLP.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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