Welcome to the page of the State Visit to United States of America

Over a century ago, in 1854, that great American man of letters and thinker, Henri David Thoreau, wrote:

«When, in some obscure country town, the farmers come together to a special town-meeting, to express their opinion on some subject which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true Congress, and the most respectable one that is ever assembled in the United States».

Town meetings are the oldest political and civic institutions in America, dating back to the 17th century. Even in colonial times, it was usual for the men of a given town to get together, under the generous protection of large centuries-old trees, to decide, together, about topics of common interest. Decisions were taken collectively by a handful of free citizens, equal in dignity and rights, who were mutually bound by the weight of the honor of one’s word.

The community spirit preceded the existence of the United States and formed the inspiring matrix of a democratic Republic built by free and equal citizens, who one day decided to forge their own path, the path of independence. Here, the values of freedom and equality were put into practice before they were proclaimed in solemn declarations.

The United States transformed itself into a large Federation and, as the years went by, it became one of the most powerful nations on the planet. Exemplary in the simplicity of its form and in the grandeur of its content, the Constitution of 1787 inspired numerous fundamental laws in various countries, including the first Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, whose centenary we commemorated.

It comes as no surprise therefore, that the American people continue to stand out for their admirable patriotism, in which the cult of ethics and virtues merge with a profound attachment to the ideals of democracy and human dignity. It was in the name of these ideals that, on two occasions, thousands of young Americans crossed the Atlantic to fight in a Europe torn apart by the threat of totalitarianism. It was, also, to safeguard the democratic values of the West that America played an active part in the creation of the Atlantic Alliance, an organization of collective defense that Portugal is proud to belong to ever since it was founded. Today, in various places around the world, there are Americans who still fight and give their lives for the universal dream of democracy.

Great nations are not measured by the size of their territories but by the generosity of their people. The United States is a great nation not only because it forms a large part of the American continent or because it has millions of inhabitants. It is a great nation because over the centuries it has welcomed thousands and thousands of men and women in search of a better future. And today, in this room, I see in the faces of this illustrious audience a living example of American generosity. Those who came here tonight, in this Portuguese town meeting, do so because they are both proud of their Portuguese roots and of the fruits that they have cultivated and harvested in the United States. Those who are here today love the land they live in, but have not forgotten the land they left behind, or from which their forefathers set off.

It was a long way from the town meetings of colonial times. Today, the United States is much more than a group of citizens, it is a prime civic model. The United States is a great Union, but it has not lost its community spirit. I would even go as far as to say that what makes this Federation great is the vitality of the citizenship of its inhabitants, a citizenship that is formed in each neighborhood, in each community, in each town, from the remotest villages to the large urban centers.

Like very few countries in the world, the United States managed to reconcile unity and diversity. The Union is strong because its wealth grows with the different contributions of each of the communities that comprise it.

It is within this context that the Portuguese and Portuguese-American Community affirms itself. I am proud to be the President of the Portuguese Republic because I am proud of Portugal and of the Portuguese people. The Portuguese of the United States, their children and grandchildren, are the image of the best of Portugal. Here they were able to form an integrated and organized community, made up from people who identify with the American love of family and work. It is essential for our community to maintain the prestige that it undeniably has within the American society. Thanks to this prestige, the name of Portugal has been projected by outstanding political leaders, dynamic businessmen and women, dedicated workers, to which we can now add a new generation of young researchers and scientists who are making their mark in excellent universities of world acclaim.

This exemplary integration of the Portuguese and Portuguese-Americans into American public life, on a federal, state and local political level, and in economic, social and cultural terms is an asset that Portugal should cherish, because it constitutes a fundamental element in projecting the Country’s credibility.

The Portuguese diaspora, thanks to the prestige that it acquired in the United States, is an essential element for Portugal to put economic diplomacy into practice which reveals the Country’s potential and the quality of its products and which can mobilize quality foreign investment.

It is in this context that I would like to emphasize the action taken, from the date of its creation, in 1991, by PALCUS, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States, which has played a remarkable role in supporting the Portuguese and Portuguese-American Community. Throughout these years PALCUS has proven to be a major spokesman for the Portuguese diaspora with the American authorities, and there are numerous examples to testify to its role.

From the first day of my mandate as President of the Republic, I have tried to make the Portuguese who live in Portugal recognize the remarkable effort and the importance of the communities of the diaspora. These communities are examples that we should bear in mind, for their capacity for work and their extraordinary dynamism, but also for the way in which they managed to integrate and prosper in the host countries. The communities of the diaspora are proof that the Portuguese are tough and have the will to win.

PALCUS’ spirit is supportive. I therefore urge PALCUS to continue to do its best for the Portuguese communities and, taking advantage of the prestige that it has mustered, to be an agent in the movement towards rediscovering the potential of Portugal, a country that has investment opportunities which the creativity and ingeniousness of the Portuguese of America can and should grasp.

We are living in times of great uncertainty all over the world. But, in these times of uncertainty, there are profound certainties that should bring us together. We are certain that there is a common heritage among the Portuguese and Portuguese-Americans. Organizations like PALCUS therefore have a great responsibility to preserve this heritage of the past, giving it a sense of the future. I am certain that the future will be a time when the political, cultural and economic ties between the United States and Portugal will become stronger.

Today, Portugal is a stable and consolidated democracy, a country with excellent infrastructures, which wants to turn the present crisis into an opportunity to clean up its financial situation, once and for all, and to introduce reforms that will ensure its economy competitiveness.

The effects of a crisis of a systemic nature, which to a large degree are beyond us, exposed the weaknesses of our financial situation and of our economy and obliged us to resort to the financial aid of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, with which we signed an ambitious program of budgetary adjustment and structural reform. The most important thing to emphasize is that Portugal’s determination has been positively assessed by its European partners and by the international institutions and that Portuguese society fully recognizes the need to pursue this effort, in spite of the sacrifices that this will require.

I am confident in the civic maturity of the Portuguese, who understood the gravity of the Country’s situation and are prepared to change course, with realism and patriotism. I therefore appeal to the diaspora for it to support the effort that is being made by their brothers and sisters in Portugal, whether by investing in Portugal, or by acquiring Portuguese goods, or by exercising the eminent influence it has among the American business community and investors. I am certain that Portugal can count on you.

In the name of Portugal, I thank you for the prestige you have achieved in the United States of America and what you have done for the image of our country, through your efforts, your intelligence, your dynamism and your honesty. I also thank you for everything you have done – and will certainly continue to do – so that Portugal can return to the path of development, within a framework of social peace and patriotic cohesion.

Thank you very much.