Representatives of the embassies of 11 Latin American countries visited the municipality of Loulé this Friday and Saturday, March 31st and April 1st.
Panama, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Mexico were present on a tour that had the Economy and Culture components as the main focuses, opening space for future bilateral projects, promoting contacts for potential business with with a view to investments "on the other side" and reinforcement of joint socio-cultural activities.
On Friday morning, the delegation was received at the Salão Nobre of the Câmara de Loulé for a welcome session and a brief presentation of the municipality.
This was followed by an incursion into territory that began inland, where diplomats had the opportunity to discover Quinta do Freixo, a family business in Benafim.
At night, it was a different reality that the delegation encountered, at a dinner in the Marina of Vilamoura, which was attended by local businessmen who introduced themselves to the diplomats.
«At the local level we have had good examples of fruitful economic diplomacy, namely with Africa, but we are always in time to inaugurate good relations of economic interest between businessmen from this municipality and the countries of Latin America», said mayor Vítor Aleixo at this time of share.
With a business fabric that has 14 micro-companies that are essentially dedicated, in the primary sector, to agriculture, in the secondary sector to civil construction, and in the tertiary sector to trade, accommodation and catering, there are «new businesses starting to assert themselves in the municipality of Loulé, namely in the area of new technologies or scientific research», considers the Câmara de Loulé.
At this meeting, three consolidated projects were presented: Garvetur, a company that was born 40 years ago in the real estate sector, currently having several business areas, Quinta da Tôr, a wine production in the Algarve Barrocal born in 2011, and Algardata, with 33 years of existence.
On the second day of the visit, Saturday, the focus was mainly on culture and historical heritage. At Palácio Gama Lobo, headquarters of Loulé Criativo, the entourage of diplomats got to know this project, where some artisans from countries such as Brazil, Colombia or Venezuela are also incubating.
The Islamic Baths or the Municipal Market of Loulé were also part of the visit that had another important moment: the passage through the Jardim das Comunidades in Almancil, and the laying of a wreath next to the busts of the two South American liberators, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martin.
This was «a very fruitful day of work and visits», which gave Latin American diplomats the opportunity to get to know the reality of the municipality better, as explained by the president of the executive committee of the Casa da América Latina, Alberto Laplaine Guimarães.
«The reactions that I have had from the ambassadors are very positive, one of them just told me that he is delighted with Loulé. I think that this visit could bear fruit in the future, namely in the cultural and economic field", he assured.
This was not the first visit to Loulé promoted by Casa da América Latina. Also in 2014, in collaboration with the Portuguese Industrial Association and NERA, a group of diplomats visited the municipality to get closer to the local economic reality. Since then, a reissue of the initiative has been planned.
Vítor Aleixo, president of the Autarchy, expressed his satisfaction at receiving such a large delegation "of diplomats from sister countries" and recalled the common historical past that unites the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America.
«The world needs this, that we meet, that we embrace common projects. When many today try to build walls, we are here to talk to each other, to understand each other, on an economic and cultural level, and to be able to destroy those walls », he said.
The dean of this group of diplomats accredited in our country, Pablo Garrido Araúz, ambassador of Panama, arrived in Portugal in 2019, but this visit to the south of the country was “a surprising discovery”.
«Loulé is an inclusive place that has a lot to offer the world. The authorities are very representative of their people, the population is very welcoming, and they received us very warmly. Cleanliness is also something formidable that I admire and I have to highlight », he noted.
The ambassador assured that, from now on, he and his colleagues will also be "spokespersons for the Algarve and Loulé".
«We will talk and share what we learn and discover here. This diversity that we found has a lot to offer, not only to Portugal but also to the whole world”, he said.
As a Panamanian, he assured that he will «look for niches in Panama to hold meetings with partners, put the same clusters in contact, whether in the areas of tourism, gastronomy, handicrafts or others, in order to create partnerships».
As for Mary Flores, the new Venezuelan ambassador, accredited by the President of the Republic last Thursday, had her first official act in Loulé.
The annual Cinema Cycle of Latin America, the offer of books edited by Casa da América Latina to the Municipal Library of Loulé, the presence of artists and theater, folklore and music groups from Latin American countries, the visit of a delegation of the Argentinean community of Comodoro Rivadavia and the attribution of the name of this locality, where many people from Loulé live, to an artery in the city of Loulé or even the inauguration of the busts of Bolívar and San Martín are some of the activities that have punctuated this relationship between Loulé and to Latin America.
«We have projects not only from the past but also from the future», said Manuel Júdice, general secretary of the association who announced the holding, in Loulé, in October, of a cultural day that will include cinema, literature and politics to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Coup d'état in Chile the death of Salvador Allende.
On the other hand, it is foreseen, in the economic area, that the proximity project with merchants and small entrepreneurs in Latin America, in the Greater Lisbon region, can be replicated in Loulé.
«It is a hugely successful initiative, with hundreds of thousands of people», said the official.
This relationship with Loulé will be strengthened as of the next general meeting of Casa da América Latina, on April 18, with the approval of a new plan of activities and the integration of mayor Vítor Aleixo into the institution’s executive committee, as vice-president.
Casa da América Latina is a non-profit association, founded in 1998, which develops an intense economic, scientific, political and cultural activity, with a view to strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Portugal and the countries of Latin America.
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