“We are constantly doing everything in our power to reverse the situation,” stated Paulo Rangel, responding to a question from Chega during the joint hearing on the 2026 State Budget by the committees on Budget, Finance and Public Administration, Foreign Affairs and the Portuguese Communities, and European Affairs.
The executive is in “constant monitoring” of the situation after the government of Guinea-Bissau announced on August 15 that the delegations from the Lusa agency, RTP, and RDP had been expelled from the country, and as of that date, broadcasts were suspended.
“I have already had several meetings with my counterpart where this issue was discussed, but the progress is limited,” Rangel acknowledged, assuring that the government is concerned and “does not abandon” the issue, which has been raised with the Guinean executive and President.
“We are trying to reverse these decisions, which are largely detrimental to freedom of expression and of the press, for which we see no reason,” commented the Portuguese foreign minister.
Rangel recognized that there had been developments he considered “positive,” but “at the moment there is no progress.”
The decision from Bissau was condemned by the Portuguese authorities, the European Union, and the affected Portuguese media outlets.
Two days after the Guinean announcement, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló merely stated that it is “a problem of Guinea-Bissau with Portugal.”
