The Socialist leader addressed journalists following a meeting requested by him with the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro. The meeting took place at the official residence of the head of government and lasted about two hours.
“It was conveyed to the Prime Minister that if he wants dialogue with the PS, it is with the PS he must engage,” he stated to the press after the meeting.
José Luís Carneiro emphasized that “the PS is not just any party,” noting that “it has fought for freedoms, rights, and fundamental guarantees since its clandestine days.”
“And this institutional respect for the founding values of this country demands that the dialogue should be constructive and should put matters in their rightful place,” he argued.
According to the PS leader, “there are matters for consensus and others for dissent,” and the established principle with the Prime Minister “is that this dialogue will continue in the future.”
“It was a very constructive conversation, and we reiterated the desire to maintain this dialogue, especially looking towards September, when we will have to also address some of these issues and other matters that will become central to our political concerns,” he emphasized.
When asked about the upcoming State Budget, Carneiro commented that this topic “was not discussed today” with the Prime Minister.
