The Minister of State for Portuguese Communities, Paulo Cavovo, announced on Sunday that a Consulate General of Portugal will be opened in Andorra la Velha, but no date has yet been set.
“The Portuguese government is preparing to open a Consulate General in this city. I know it was desired, that it was desired, but above all, it was worthy of our community that resides here,” said the Minister, in his address to the Portuguese residents of Andorra, on the occasion of the Christmas festivities. Portugal Day, Camões and Portuguese Communities.
Subsequently, in response to a question from Lusa, Paolo Cafuvo clarified that there is still no specific date for the opening of this diplomatic representation in the capital of the principality.
Some of the Portuguese with whom Lusa spoke during the day mentioned that the embassy closure in 2012 made it difficult to access services, such as renewing a citizen’s card, for example, and forcing citizens to travel to Barcelona to do so.
Andorra is 197 kilometers from Barcelona.
In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was flanked by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said that “this will be an opportunity to better serve the citizens residing in Andorra, but also” to better affirm our presence in the economic sphere. and cultural fields.
Minutes later, the President of the Republic commented on the announcement and told reporters that the goal is to “create more political weight, greater administrative weight and greater ability to intervene” with a society that “grows” in the emirate.
“You can’t ignore that. In a growing community, there has to be a stronger response,” he added.
The President of the Republic also confirmed that he would support Andorra in signing a bilateral treaty with the European Union, considering that the twenty-seven countries would win by “merging more” with the Principality.
When asked by Andorra a journalist about the signing of a bilateral treaty between the principality and the European Union and whether the Portuguese state intends to support this claim by Andorra, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied “of course”.
It is essential for the European Union (EU) [a assinatura desse tratado]The Portuguese head of state added, on the sidelines of a meeting with Portuguese residents in the emirate, on the occasion of the celebrations. From Portugal Day, Camões and Portuguese Communities.
Andorra, which is populated by more than 9,000 Portuguese – the third largest community representing more than 10% of the total population – “wins by being more connected to the European Union, the European Union is making gains in integration more, bringing Andorra closer together, which is European and plays an important role Very,” added the head of state.
A few hours after returning from London for a “lightning” visit to the principality, the third since taking office more than six years ago, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was also asked about the meeting between Prime Minister Antonio Costa and his British counterpart Boris. Johnson next Monday.
The Portuguese head of state said Costa’s visit to London aims to strengthen the “distinguished relationship” between Portugal and the United Kingdom, rejecting potential contradictions with post-Brexit agreements.
Quite simply, in those areas where there is no contradiction, there are things that we can do through bilateral cooperation, which we are doing, by the way, with other countries around the world, especially with a country that has a very strong British community in the North. , a very strong British community in the south, in Madeira, and it is growing in terms of investment in Portugal,” he argued, arguing that Portugal benefits from the strengthening of these already secular relations.
The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and Portugal are preparing to close a global political agreement on Monday in London to regulate Portuguese-British bilateral relations after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
“A major agreement is being prepared between the two countries, with particular focus on the areas of defense, foreign policy, science, higher education and climate change, in particular the oceans,” Foreign Minister Lusa said on Sunday. Gomez Cravenho, at the end of a visit to the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, in which he accompanied the President of the Republic.
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