In Lisbon, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa refrained from commenting on recent developments, emphasizing that “everything must be done” to preserve fraternity among member countries of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
Asked if he had spoken with the President of Guinea-Bissau regarding the expulsion of Portuguese media delegations and the suspension of their broadcasts since August 15, a decision by the Guinean government, the head of state replied, “Several times, I have spoken several times since then.”
“I have nothing to say now. The Portuguese government took a position at a certain point, then there was a meeting of the foreign ministers and a communiqué regarding the relations between the two countries,” noted Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The Portuguese President mentioned that next week, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, “there will be an opportunity, as it is a tradition, for a meeting of the representatives of Portuguese-speaking countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally.”
“As you know, my position on the CPLP, regarding bilateral relations, is that, on either side, everything must be done, whatever the president, prime minister, government, the situation in one country or another, and there have been ‘N’ instances, to safeguard what is fraternity, a fraternal friendship. It is like this and must remain so,” he added.
On August 18, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel met with his Guinean counterpart, Carlos Pinto Pereira, following the expulsion of Lusa, RTP, and RDP delegations.
“This meeting, organized to make every effort to resume full normality in bilateral relations, took place in a clearly constructive manner, leaving a positive expectation that the current situation can be overcome,” reads a brief from Portugal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued after the meeting.
That note refers to the August 15 communiqué in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the expulsion of Portuguese media, a decision it described as “highly reprehensible and unjustifiable,” adding that it would seek explanations from the Guinean government.
In Lisbon’s Brotéria Bookstore, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa attended the presentation of the book ‘The Shortest History of the Overseas’, by David Moreira, which he prefaced.
