The solid roots that unite Portugal and Brazil
Today is a remarkable day. We celebrate the bicentennial of Brazil’s independence. From the perspective of a Foreign Minister, it means the bicentennial of fraternal relations between two independents and sovereigns.
Portugal and Brazil have a unique relationship, with historical, cultural and economic ties.
Cultural ties are, from the outset, grounded in our common language: the language of the more than 260 million Lusophones, of which around 200 million are Brazilians. It is in Brazil that the largest Portuguese community in Latin America is located, corresponding, in fact, to our largest consular network. And the Brazilian community is the largest foreign resident community in Portugal.
In the last decades, Brazilians an unprecedented search for citizenship on the part of Portuguese citizens. And today we have a real air bridge between Portugal and Brazil, made up of more than 70 weekly TAP flights.
This dynamic is also reflected in economic and trade relations. Brazil is the leading Latin American market for exports of Portuguese goods and, outside the European Union, the largest destination for exports of goods. But the potential is immense, so there is still a long way to go.
Porto Seguro is an example of potential, given its useful tool, a new lease of life in the times we have gained. In fact, the economic plan urges to compensate the whole picture now, leaving behind the standards that are now outdated.
In fact, Portugal meets Brazil in every pillar of Portuguese foreign policy: we are Atlantic, we are Ibero-American and we are Lusophone.
Therefore, as this is a special year for Brazil, it is natural for Portugal to join the celebrations, participating and organizing initiatives in four thematic areas: Culture; Science and Education; Technology and inovation; and Economics and Business Development.
At the same time, we intend to ensure the connection of actions on the occasion of the bicentennial to other relevant events that take place even in 2022.
And it was not by chance that he chose these data to baptize Faro airport with the name of Gago Coutinho, with a KC-390 aircraft, a magnificent example of Portuguese-Brazilian cooperation at its best.
The path is built with solid roots to unite us, with the vividness of the past that presents itself profoundly, with a view to a profoundly promising bilateral future as bilateral relations of countries.