President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa addressed the Portuguese community in São Tomé and Príncipe upon his arrival today to partake in the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the country’s independence, scheduled for Saturday.
Responding to journalists’ inquiries about potential impacts of proposed immigration law changes by the PSD/CDS-PP government on relations with countries like São Tomé and Príncipe, the President indicated no effect “as the law hasn’t been approved yet.” He expressed anticipation for the final version, highlighting a collective effort to secure the most favorable status for countries with Portuguese as an official language.
Rebelo de Sousa noted migration occurs “in both directions, also involving Portuguese migrating to these states” and advocated its significance for economic, social, educational, and developmental aspects. He pointed out that certain social sectors in Portugal are largely sustained by immigrants from Portuguese-speaking countries, citing IPSS and misericórdias as examples with diminishing Portuguese participation.
His speech included the upward trend in reciprocal visa numbers, with 17,000 to 18,000 issued to São Toméans last year. He acknowledged the growing yet small São Toméan community in Portugal, enriched by students, professionals, administrative staff, and various workers contributing to Portugal’s prosperity and development.
Regarding military cooperation between Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, Rebelo de Sousa emphasized its long-standing nature and indefinite continuation as desired by the “sibling state.” He stressed its significance not only for human trafficking and drug trafficking issues but also for security in the ocean and global geopolitics.
He mentioned continued interest from other navies in a domain watched by Portugal, purportedly linked to scientific research, referencing Russia’s military agreement with São Tomé and Príncipe.
