Carlos Silva e Sousa, who died last Thursday, victim of a massive heart attack, is not only remembered in the Algarve and Portugal. In France, particularly in the Île-De-France region (Greater Paris), the ill-fated mayor of Albufeira also left his mark.
Paulo Marques, mayor in France and president of the Association of Mayors of Portuguese Origin in France, the association Civica, in contact with the Sul Informação he insisted on recalling that «for two years now, President Carlos Silva e Sousa had a very active intervention with the mayors (French and Portuguese) of Greater Paris and with these 1.260 municipalities in the Paris region».
He «had a special affection, namely because Albufeira was the only foreign city to be present at the Congress of Mayors of Greater Paris (1.260 municipalities and 12 million inhabitants)», which took place in May last year.
Paulo Marques does not hesitate to classify the former mayor of Albufeira as a "visionary", recalling that he wanted to become a partner of Civica, "in order to increase the visibility of Albufeira, namely with the mayors of the Île-De-France region ( Greater Paris), they are the public decision-makers for the travel destinations of Parisian citizens».
«That was how [Carlos Silva e Sousa] also challenged Civica to pass through Albufeira on the last study visit of 55 mayors and parliamentarians of Portuguese origin to Portugal».
That visit took place last November. Led by Paulo Marques, president of Civica, the delegation then had the opportunity to visit some of the most important points in the municipality of Albufeira, culminating in a reception ceremony at the Main Hall of the Town Hall.
At the time, the then mayor of Albufeira had pointed out that «France is currently the fifth market in the Algarve region in terms of tourism and there is great growth potential, not only because we have a common history, but also because the language, in this case with the Portuguese and Portuguese-descendant community, is a great advantage for us to cultivate a fruitful bilateral relationship».
Paulo Marques is also mayor in the Municipality of Aulnay-sous-Bois, the third in the Seine-Saint-Denis district and the seventh in Greater Paris, with 83 inhabitants, including around 10 citizens of Portuguese origin.
The Portuguese-descendant mayor usually spends holidays in Albufeira and, as he knows the Algarve well, he defended, in his visit last November, that «the city and the region have all the conditions to receive more tourists from France. Portuguese and Portuguese descendants who identify with our country and who have a say in the deepening of economic and social relations with other communities».
The Civic association, by the way, posted a note of regret on your website where, in addition to highlighting the contribution of the former mayor of Albufeira to strengthening ties between Portugal and France, he also recalls that he «caused a sensation whenever he spoke in France because of the ease of expressing himself in the language of Molière».
The same note reveals that, «on the day of his departure», Carlos Silva e Sousa «validated several actions in France and Albufeira for the year 2018». These initiatives, stresses Civica, will now have "a bitter taste, but will be up to the requirement demanded by Carlos Silva e Sousa." Among these initiatives, according to what our newspaper found, is a new participation by Albufeira in that Congress of Mayors of Greater Paris and also the hosting of an exhibition, presented by Civica, on the participation of the Portuguese in France in the First World War .
Taking into account this strong connection, Paulo Marques will now promote the publication of «one or two photos» about the farewell to Carlos Silva e Sousa in «Civica Magazine», a magazine of mayors of Portuguese origin in France. For this, the Sul Informação released some of the images published last Saturday, in the news about the funeral of the late mayor of Albufeira.
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