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

I am very honored to be associated to this II Meeting of American Legislators, Mayors and Councilors of Portuguese descent.

The American Constitution, one of the oldest written constitutional texts in the world, begins with the famous words: «We, the people». Here and now, before this audience, the expression written into the Fundamental Law of this Republic takes on particular significance. I could say, with propriety, «You, the people».

You are, in fact, the people of the American Republic, those to whom the citizens of this country granted the privilege and the responsibility of representing them. By representing the American people, you are also sovereign people. People who, in the name of free citizens, decide upon the destiny of a democracy that acted as a model for a number of other nations in the world.

The people’s representatives fulfill the dream of the founders and honor the memory of names such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Washington. These are people who not only form part of the History of the United States, but who also stand in the universal memory of democracy and freedom.

The work undertaken by the Philadelphia Convention ended in 1787 and, two years later, in 1789, George Washington was elected and became President of the United States. America was stepping into democratic constitutionalism at the same time that, in France, the Revolution brought about the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. But while these ideals would only find their way in Europe after a long and turbulent process, the United States never left the course initiated with the Declaration of Independence and, afterwards, with the Federal Constitution of 1787, proof that democracy has deep and far-reaching roots in the History of this nation.

Given such a remarkable past, and the concerns and vivid hopes of a community of free and well-informed citizens, your responsibility is certainly very great. On every level be it federal, state and local, your work requires permanent dedication to the public interest and a strong spirit of service.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As President of the Portuguese Republic, I am delighted to see before my eyes such a distinguished and numerous audience. Because, if your citizenship is American, your origins are Portuguese and, in entrusting you with the responsibility of representing them, the American people have paid tribute to the values that you bring from your origins. You are the living proof that the Portuguese Community in the United States has managed to integrate in a quite exemplary fashion into this country, a land which has always welcomed those who arrived here willingly, in search of a better future for themselves and for their families.

Everyone here today is meeting for three reasons. Firstly, because they perform important public functions in the governance of this country. Secondly, because they share American citizenship. And last, but not least, because their origins are from Portugal. The fact that they wish to preserve these origins is, for me, a reason for great pride, happiness and comfort.

With my presence in this Meeting, I want to praise the historic proximity between Portugal and the United States, two countries that met each other more than two centuries ago and which have always maintained a relationship of great friendship and frank cooperation. Given your origins and your prestige, you are in a good position to make a striking contribution towards strengthening the ties of friendship between these two nations. You are, similarly, in position to defend, better than anyone, the values, principles and legitimate interests of the Portuguese and Portuguese-American communities in the United States.

I am well acquainted with the difficult demands of a life dedicated to the public cause. After all, I was a Minister for Finance, and later the Prime Minister of Portugal for ten years and I have been President of the Republic since 2006. For this reason, I am aware of how much is required of those who work to serve the people. The fact that the people chose you to represent them is certainly proof of trust, and also a mandate of great responsibility. I want to congratulate you for such privilege, as I am certain that, in exercising your functions, you will be worthy of the pride that Portugal, a nation which is almost a thousand years old, takes in you.

It is in this spirit that I invite you all to join me in a toast to the success of this Meeting, to the personal and professional happiness of you all and to the future of the relations between Portugal and the United States of America.

Thank you very much.