This afternoon on the island of Flores, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will visit the Flores meteorological radar (located at Morro Alto) and the port of Lajes das Flores, according to the program released by the Azorean Regional Government.
The port of Lajes das Flores was destroyed in October 2019 by Hurricane Lorenzo, and its reconstruction is currently underway, representing an investment of 194,830,000 euros (excluding VAT), stated the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM).
On Saturday, the Head of State will travel to the island of Corvo, the smallest in the archipelago, where he will visit the Wild Birds Interpretation Center of Corvo and the interpretative route “Manuel Carlos Jorge do Nascimento” in the morning.
Later that afternoon, before leaving the island, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will inaugurate the Corvo Wind Farm and visit the Corvo Solar Park, located in Cerrado das Vacas, which are part of the “Renewable Corvo” project, enabling energy self-sufficiency.
During these two days, the President of the Republic will visit the Western group of the Azores, comprising the islands of Flores and Corvo, which represent the most western frontier of Portugal and Europe.
“Despite having less than 2% of the population of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, this insular group plays a decisive strategic role in meteorological surveillance, energy transition, and the preservation of Atlantic biodiversity,” stated the Azorean executive in a note sent to the Lusa agency.
The Regional Government of the Azores, led by social-democrat José Manuel Bolieiro, considers that the presidential visit to these two islands of the archipelago “symbolizes the recognition of the role of the Western group as a scientific, environmental, and geopolitical platform in the European Atlantic space.”
The visit by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the islands of Flores and Corvo also “underlines the relevance of public policies of territorial cohesion, environmental sustainability, and infrastructural resilience in a context of increasing climate and energy challenges,” it stated.
Since taking office as Head of State for the first time in 2016, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has visited the Azores several times, including official visits to various islands and for the 2018 Portugal Day celebrations, which began in Ponta Delgada and continued with Portuguese emigrants and Lusodescendants on the East Coast of the United States.
