«All cooperation opportunities are very well seen by the municipality, which wants to value international relations, especially with the countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries - CPLP, even because, we know, there are many immigrants in our county and population that is already second generation and who are from Cape Verde». The words are from Rogério Bacalhau, president of the Chamber of Faro, at the reception of the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, who this Saturday visited that municipality, as part of his official five-day visit to Portugal.
The President of the Republic José Maria Neves was in the Algarve today, having met with the mayor Rogério Bacalhau in the City Hall, to discuss topics that “may open the door to closer ties between the Algarve municipality and this African country”.
The mayor of Faro also highlighted the fact that the Municipality of Faro being a member of the Intermunicipal Development Cooperation Network (RICD), considering that, in this context, there are "multiple possibilities of being able to work in partnership, promoting synergies and establishing bridges with Cape Verde", namely with regard to "combating poverty and the implementation of strategies to promote Sustainable Development», as is the case with «other PALOP countries, namely Mozambique and S. Tomé and Príncipe».
Rogério Bacalhau also referred to the New Strategy for Portuguese Cooperation 2030 (which is in the public consultation period), expressing the wish that the municipality could "have a say about its content", which would reinforce "the interests and needs of all those who form part of the community of Portuguese-speaking African Countries» and underline «the importance of our common cultural and historical heritage, as well as the commitment and awareness for growth».
The Cape Verdean delegation was chaired by the head of state José Maria Neves, accompanied by the first lady Débora Carvalho, the minister of Communities Jorge Santos and the ambassador of the Republic of Cape Verde to Portugal Eurico Monteiro, among other individuals.
The President of the Republic also visited in Faro, the University of Algarve, where he met with students from his country, in addition to having visited some departments of the academy.
In the afternoon, President José Maria Neves was still in Loulé, where he had a meeting with the Cape Verdean community residing there, one of the largest in the country.
The Cape Verdean Head of State makes an official five-day visit to Portugal (from the 27th to the 31st of July), the first after being elected last October and taking office the following month.
The visit, carried out at the invitation of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also provided several meetings with the Cape Verdean community living in Portugal.
José Maria Neves was born in 1960, in Assomada, Santiago Island, having studied Public Administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, in Brazil, and obtained a PhD in Public Policy at ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa.
He was Prime Minister from March 2001 to April 2016. He chaired the PAICV, the Cape Verde Independence Party, having won three national legislative elections.
Before becoming Prime Minister and Head of Government, José Maria Neves was a deputy, president of the Municipal Government of Santa Catarina and president of the Amílcar Cabral Youth Organization.
As a professional, he worked at the General Directorate of Public Administration of Cape Verde.
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