Welcome to the Official page of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic

I am very grateful for your presence here today to have the opportunity to wish you and your families, a very Happy New Year.

Please allow me to address a word of thanks to His Most Reverend Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio for the kind words that he addressed to me on this occasion, on behalf of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Lisbon.

The year now ended was one of the most complex that we have lived through in recent times. The International Community had to face various crises of differing types. We continued, in particular, to fight against an economic and financial crisis that drags on and that has been deeply affecting various countries in the world. At another level, we have been witnessing the worsening of situations such as that in Syria. This requires an urgent solution by the international community to put a stop to crimes committed against a defenceless population.

Ambassadors,
The Diplomatic Corps accredited in Lisbon witnessed the particular incidence of the economic and financial crisis that hit Portugal and how the country reacted. The Portuguese – I am proud to say – have demonstrated extremely responsible behaviour, strengthening the bonds of solidarity and mutual aid that allowed the lessening of some of the more dramatic situations.

2012 was a year in which Portugal carried out an important effort of macroeconomic and financial adjustment within the framework of the programme agreed with the international institutions and went ahead with a significant programme of structural reforms. The process of budgetary consolidation has been progressing within a climate of political stability and relative social peace, in spite of the unfavourable external economic context, different from what had been initially estimated.

Portugal will honour the international commitments that it subscribed to. We naturally do not ignore the challenges we are facing and the risks that, in spite of our determined attitude, exist in the horizon. We are conscious of the need to add to budgetary consolidation measures that strengthen the conditions of competitiveness and confidence which are indispensable to economic growth and creation of employment. This is another great challenge we want to overcome in 2013.

Notwithstanding the difficulties, we find several positive signs appearing. The vitality of our national talent has been internationally recognized with prestigious prizes and awards in such diverse fields as science, architecture, plastic arts, fashion, scenic arts and cinema.

Economically, exports of goods and services continue to achieve significant gains in shares in new markets. 2012 will probably record a surplus in the external accounts of goods and services, which has not been the case over many decades. In another important area, lower interest rates were recorded for Portuguese debt, a recognition by the markets of the strengthening of the credibility of the country.

Ambassadors,

From the year 2012, I am pleased to recall our privilege in welcoming in Portugal the visits of the Heads of State and other political leaders from countries represented by Your Excellencies. Such visits are true signs of a reciprocal drive in the strengthening of our worldwide relationships. During the past year we subscribed to a significant number of international agreements in the political, cultural, economic and taxation areas, fundamental for the deepening of relations between Portugal and your countries.

We terminated, in 2012, our mandate in the United Nations Security Council. I made a point of presiding at the first open debate organized by Portugal in the Security Council. In these two years, we were guided by the defence of the primacy of international law and gave special regard to the promotion of human rights and to an effective, active multilateralism, characterised by dialogue.

Convinced of the pivotal quality of the United Nations Organization in the International Community, I would like to thank you, once again, for the support and confidence shown by most of your countries, which made our election possible as well as our fulfilment of the difficult task we carried out. In this same spirit we will continue to defend, with conviction, our candidacy to the Human Rights Council and to the World Heritage Committee. Please allow me to address a word of thanks to those who have already shown their support by giving us their vote, in the hope that the value of our arguments inspires those who have not yet done so.

In 2012, a year of great challenges concerning Europe, Portugal continued to show itself as an active and responsible partner in the integration process. We acted on two levels. In a more immediate perspective, we endeavoured to contribute to the creation of mechanisms to limit the effects of the current crisis, known to all of us. In a medium to long term approach, we defended the launching of stronger bases for the institutional architecture of the Euro and for the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union. There is, however, still a long way to go. It is our belief that the Union has also to move forward in a more determined way in the pursuit of an European agenda directed towards growth and the creation of employment.

The important negotiation of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework is a further component we will continue to follow in 2013 and which must also be considered in the context of strengthening growth and competitiveness potential.

The Union must support the Member States in the restructuring of their economies, particularly those that are facing the strict demands for the rebalancing of their public finances and are suffering the impact of the recession in the Euro Zone. I am firmly convinced that it is in the interest of the European Union as a whole that cohesion and solidarity are not merely empty words.

Only a strong and cohesive European Union can be a factor of hope for its citizens. This is the only way that the European Union can assert itself externally as a respected and credible actor in the international community, promoting peace, economic and social progress, freedom, respect for human rights and universal stability. Portugal will continue to take an active part in the deepening of European integration.

Ambassadors,

2012 was also a particularly important year for the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. We inaugurated the headquarters of CPLP, in Lisbon, a clear expression of Portuguese commitment to this Organization.

The Portuguese language, more than a legacy from our History, is a strategic asset in the current foreign policy of Portugal and of all CPLP’s member countries. The CPLP Summit, in Maputo – in which I had the honour to take part – was an occasion privileged by the recognition of the excellent levels of cooperation which we maintain within the organization. We had the opportunity to discuss the worrying issue of Guinea Bissau, which continues to call upon the international community as a whole. At the same time, we endeavoured to answer the challenge of food safety, in another effort of collective and concerned commitment to a global cause and to the Millennium Objectives.

The relevance of CPLP on the international stage is more than ever evident, in spite of its relative youth. The internationalization of the Portuguese language is a priority for our organization. In this context, we will welcome this year, in Portugal, the II International Conference on the Future of the Portuguese Language in the World System.

In Africa, we shall not forget that it is in the area where Portuguese is spoken that we find some of our main political and economic partners, in a unique relationship at the political, cultural and entrepreneurial levels. An excellent feature of this reality is the fine level of proximity and understanding we hold with Angola and Mozambique.

However, Portugal nowadays views non-Portuguese speaking Africa with redoubled attention, in a perspective of economic development and in the issues of training and sharing of knowledge.

Ambassadors,

In 2012 I was privileged to visit East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia.

East Timor was celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Independence, as well as the language and values shared within the CPLP family. I was honoured to take part in such symbolic commemorations.

The State Visit to Indonesia can be said to have been a truly historic landmark. It was the first State Visit of a Portuguese President to that country, and a visit that signalled a real turning of a new leaf in our bilateral relations and with the region.

Also in Asia, throughout the past year, we have continued to celebrate the 500 years of historical encounters between the Portuguese and several Asian countries, pioneering encounters which left indelible marks, both in Portugal and in many of those countries.

In 2013 we will continue to drive forward this mutual rediscovery of Portugal and the Orient, when commemorating the 470 years of the first contacts with Japan and the 500 years of the arrival of the Portuguese in China. After five centuries, Portugal and China record today a significant level in entrepreneurial and economic relationship, plainly apparent due to the fact that, in 2012, Portugal was the main destination of Chinese investment in Europe. Likewise, many Portuguese companies are more than ever looking towards China as a market and investment location, in a reciprocal dynamism that must be nurtured.

These Commemorations will thus continue to represent an opportunity to deepen our bilateral cooperation with countries in the Asian region, guided by our current interests and within a rationale covering the present and the future.

Ambassadors,

Portugal always found, in the Atlantic, a privileged gate to the World. In 2012, we endeavoured to continue consolidating and strengthening our relations with the countries of the North Atlantic, specifically with the United States, not just bilaterally, but also within the framework of the international institutions to which we belong. In 2013 we will pursue the path of deepening our relations with these allies.

In the South Atlantic, in Latin America, a region with which we also have a centuries-old relationship and where we enjoy an important historical asset of confidence, we encounter today some of the main power houses of the world economy and of international political life.

In addition to the special relationship with Brazil – with which we will continue, throughout the current year, to celebrate “The Year of Portugal in Brazil and of Brazil in Portugal” – we welcomed, in 2012, the visits of the Colombian and Peruvian Presidents. I believe that 2013 will be the time to reinforce and deepen the relationship with the countries of the region, our partners in the Iberian American Summit.

This year Portugal will hold the Presidency of the 5+5 Group. We look with special interest to our Mediterranean neighbours, as well as our partners in the Near and Middle East and in the Persian Gulf. We continue firmly and determinedly in our coming closer to those countries.

Ambassadors,

I believe in the importance of revitalizing the relationship between Portugal and the countries represented by Your Excellencies. We will thus contribute strongly to overcome, quietly but confidently, current difficulties, and to better prepare ourselves to defeat the challenges of the future.

This is my commitment. Portugal will contribute towards the construction of a better future for the world, in a spirit of dialogue, with a universal and open spirit, the spirit that is characteristic of us as a sovereign nation of many centuries.

In spite of its history and its diaspora, today’s Portugal is not yet sufficiently known throughout the World. Today’s Portugal represents, in the most diversified areas, from science to culture, from architecture to creative industries, from engineering to communication and information technologies, an example of dynamism and entrepreneurship, a model, in many cases, of vanguard and innovation.

Allow me, thus, to send out a challenge to the Ambassadors accredited here, as privileged observers of the national reality: disseminate Portugal’s image as that of a modern country, with a future, with a healthy business environment, excellent investment opportunities and available qualified professionals, in addition to the hospitality of its people, its mild climate and the richness of its cultural heritage. This is not in anyway a mirage, but Portugal’s true reality.

I am certain that Your Excellencies will know how to contribute towards the deepening of Portugal’s relations with each of your countries and for the dissemination of the Portugal of the 21st century. I would, therefore, like to end by renewing my best wishes for a prosperous 2013 for your countries and for each of you present here today.

Thank you very much.