I thank you, Madam President, for your gracious invitation to hold this visit to the Republic of Korea, the first Official Visit of Heads of State between both countries. We are grateful, my Wife and I and as well as our retinue, for the warm hospitality with which we have been received.

This welcoming, aside from the characteristic courtesy of Korean culture, well shows the bonds of friendship that link us and the common wish for a deepening of dialogue and cooperation between Portugal and Korea.

I recall with much delight our meeting, in Lisbon, in 2011, when Your Excellency carried out a Visit as Special Envoy of the then President Lee Myung-bak.

Our bilateral contacts go back for more than four centuries and our diplomatic relations date from 50 years ago.

With this visit I wish to contribute towards strengthening the approach and mutual knowledge between our two countries, in order to imbue renewed dynamics in the political, economic, cultural and academic relations and reinforce contacts amongst our peoples.

Madam President,

Portugal is nowadays a very different country to that which is discussed in History classes. What constantly continues, however, is the search for knowledge, the universality and the capability to overcome difficulties shown by the Portuguese people.

The Portuguese economy is today a modern and open economy, which benefits from a business environment that favours entrepreneurial initiative and foreign investment, and which has, in the most diverse fields, companies in excellent conditions to establish international partnerships, specifically to operate in third countries with which Portugal has special historic and cultural bonds.

This is the reason why I organized an encounter with representatives of large Korean corporations, as well as having presided at the opening session of an economic seminar between Portuguese and Korean companies. These contacts presage success.

I equally took part in an encounter which was held between representatives of the Portuguese universities included in my retinue and of Korean institutions. I was able to verify the dynamism of the cooperation between the best Portuguese and Korean research centres and universities.

Madam President,

This visit is a clear signal of the relevance that both countries attribute to this bilateral relationship and the firm determination to jointly build an impending partnership.

With this conviction I ask you all to join me in a toast to the heath of President Park Geun-hye, to the friendly people of the Republic of Korea and to future of our relationship.