“Portugal, country of emigrants, owes a lot to all who have arrived”
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, marks the International Day of Migration today with a message in which he defends that “Portugal, a country of emigrants, owes a lot to all who have arrived”.
“The day that marks today, the International Day of Migration, reminds us that there is a single humanity, of which we are all part”, says Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in a note today published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet.
The head of state draws attention to “the clarifications in the lives of those who are forced to leave their homes, their cities, their countries of origin”, noting that this is “a reality that so often seems to be forgotten”.
“Through war, climate change, human rights or economic issues, millions of migrants around the world seek shelter in other communities, like ours”, he continues.
Referring to the national situation, the President of the Republic adds: “Portugal, a country of emigrants, owes a lot to everyone who has arrived and helped to build a younger, more diverse and plural society.”
At the end of this message, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa evokes “the legacy of President Jorge Sampaio, with the Global Platform for Higher Education as an example of Portugal to the world”.
The United Nations (UN) established December 18 as the International Day of Migration in December 2000, based on the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and taking into account the growing number of migrants in the world.
To mark this date, the head of State also recorded a message that will be transmitted today at a meeting of the Forum of Catholic Organizations for Immigration and Asylum, in Lisbon.
On Friday, after the Public Ministry accused seven GNR soldiers of a total of 33 crimes in a process of kidnapping and assaulting immigrants in Odemira, Beja, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa requested that he “trust that justice will be done, quickly, in relation to the accusations of unacceptable violations of liberties, rights and guarantees”.
In an informative note, the President of the Republic wrote that “the responsibilities and security services, and the State in general, are particularly responsible for their respect and compliance”, considering, on the other hand, “that the crimes or infractions committed by elements of a force cannot be confused with a mission, the dedication and competence of the majority of its members”.
In the same text published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa referred to the International Migration Day, noting that “such guarantees and respect for fundamental rights are due to everyone, whether national nationals or not”.
“As a nation of emigration, we have a particular responsibility in the quality of welcoming immigrants who come to us and here we are looking for a new life, contributing to the development and well-being of our country”, he said.
The former President of the Republic Jorge Sampaio, who died on September 10 this year, aged 81, founded in 2013 the Global Platform for Academic Assistance in Emergency for Syrian Students, which he chaired until the end of his life.
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