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Dear compatriots and friends

It is with very special emotion that I return, now as President of the Republic, to be with my compatriots in California.

It was over a century ago that the Portuguese settled on the West Coast of the United States. They came in search of better living conditions, seeking, in this land of opportunity, what their own land denied them.

Staring out over the Pacific, this coast was a distant land for our compatriots of former times. Simply put, for the Portuguese «There's No Such Place As Far Away», to quote the title of a book by a popular North American writer.

In fact, for the Portuguese, distance was never an obstacle, nor a reason for giving up. Our will took us to the farthest corners of the planet, in an adventure that opened the doors of the World to the first globalization.

These days, a new generation has set off to California, and also to other states on the West Coast and the rest of the United States. A generation mostly made up from young entrepreneurs, researchers and talented scientists, who stand out for their qualifications and the excellence of their skills in the areas of science and technology.

In the past as in the present, the Portuguese have shown that they do not bow to their fate, and that they want to take the future into their own hands. This is a quality that our people have never lost and which represents an enormous capital of hope for overcoming the adversities that Portugal is currently facing.

It is, in fact, comforting to see how the successive generations of emigrants got together to form a cohesive, solid and prestigious community.

The new generation intelligently understood that it had a lot to gain from the experience and prestige that the Portuguese had accumulated here. In turn, those who had settled on this Coast many years ago enthusiastically and generously welcomed the young men and women who came to work in world-renowned Universities and in research centers that are distinguished for their excellence and high standards.

Thanks also to the unifying role of associations, collectives and local leaders, which have done so much to keep the flame of all things Portuguese burning on this Golden Coast of the United States of America, the Portuguese Community has become considerably stronger.

The Portuguese on the West Coast form a community that preserves its particular cultural traits and which has its own autonomy, but which fully identifies itself with the ideals of freedom, democracy and solidarity that have always oriented the History of the United States of America. I am delighted to see, as President of the Republic, that the Portuguese are fully integrated into this land and that, together with their children and grandchildren, Portuguese-Americans stand out for the quality of their work and for their civic and political contribution.

My friends

Portugal is heavily indebted to you. The Portuguese authorities are called on to do everything they can to maintain and strengthen the ties that bind the communities of the diaspora to their home country.

I watched the film that has just been shown very attentively. An extraordinary film that showed us the diversity and dynamism of the communities that make up the vast space of this consular region. A film that touchingly bears witness to the sense of their belonging to the Country of which we are all children.

I took good note of everything that was said and the questions that were raised, and I am certain that this was also the case for the Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities, who is here today. There is a common point in all of them: the desire for the Portuguese authorities to adequately validate and support what is done here in favor of Portugal, and for them to be attentive to your needs and initiatives. I can assure you that nothing that was said there will be forgotten and, for my part, I will do everything I can to ensure that your concerns have the response and follow-up that they deserve.

Dear fellow countrymen,

I come to you in the name of that which unites us, which is Portugal. A Portugal that for some is their land, in many cases the island where they were born, and for others it is an essential cultural and identity reference that they have got from their Parents or Grandparents.

I am here in the name of a Portugal which, more than ever, needs us all to construct its future.

It is in the name of the future of Portugal that I wish to speak to you. It is in the name of this future that I appeal to you all to recall your origins and feel that you have a Portuguese imperative, giving the best of your talent in favor of the country you came from, or to which you are bound by ties of blood and affection.

Everyone knows that our Homeland is facing a period of difficulties, which entails many tough sacrifices. Have no doubts: we will overcome them, as we have so many times in the past. But, for this to happen, Portugal has to see how to make the most of the factors that make it stand out above countries and that are an advantage in an increasingly competitive world. One of them is, unquestionably, the extraordinary potential of our diaspora, comprising many millions of Portuguese and their descendents spread over all continents.

We ask of it that you divulge the potential that Portugal has to offer as a Member State of the European Union, the largest market in the world, with millions of consumers with high purchasing power. And the truth is that in strategic sectors such as forestry or the economy of the sea, in quality tourism or in new technologies, Portugal has extraordinary resources and potential, besides a highly qualified generation of dynamic and innovative businessmen and women and local authorities motivated to back the launch of local initiatives that create jobs.

Our Country is, in fact, making a very serious and consistent effort to promote its exports and to attract investment, within the framework of a broader process of business restructuring, which favors internationalization and which will include the privatization of important economic sectors. Those who wish to invest in Portugal should be given the possibility to do so without bureaucratic barriers or administrative constraints.

In short, like California, and like the United States, Portugal is also a land of opportunities, for those who know how to act at the right time. That time is today. That time is now.

I know that I can count on you to continue to raise up high the name of the land that witnessed your birth or to which you feel connected. To proclaim its beauty, the wealth of its History of nearly a thousand years and its cultural heritage. To affirm the economic and cultural value of our language, the sixth most spoken in the world, spoken by more than two hundred and fifty million people, on all continents. And I know that I can also count on you to remember that Portugal is an attractive destination for investment and a source of high quality products that deserve to be known and tested.

Dear friends and compatriots,

I would once again like to thank all of you for coming tonight, and for your warmth and hospitality. Allow me, in fact, a word of special gratitude to all of those among you who were more directly involved in the organization of this dinner and of my Visit. I want to thank you also, as President of the Republic and as your compatriot, for everything you do, every day, to honor the name of our beloved Portugal.

I will take with me the longing for your company, but also your example of tenacity, of your will to win, and of your love for Portugal. For me, this will always be a source of stimulus and encouragement. I am very grateful to you for this and I wish you, from the bottom of my heart, on my behalf, and also on behalf of my Wife, all happiness in your personal and professional lives.

Thank you.