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Honourable Ambassador,
Honourable President of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Brazil,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to thank the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Brazil and its President, Mr. António Pargana, for the very touching decision to arrange this dinner to coincide with my brief stay in S.Paulo, on my way back from the Iberian-American Summit in Montevideo.

At the moment when the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Brazil celebrates its 96th anniversary, I wish to pay homage to all who have contributed to its success.

I also congratulate Commander Horácio da Silva Roque for having been distinguished as 2006 Personality of the Year, a just prize and recompense for the undisputable worth of his activity as an entrepreneur who, contributing towards the creation of wealth in Portugal, goes far beyond its borders.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Portugal faces today enormous challenges, the answer to which will determine what country we leave for future generations. Our times will not be benevolent for those who hesitate in becoming adapted. And our times are those of growing globalization. It is not possible to pretend that this is not the reality. The answer cannot be fear, which does not let us view the opportunities, or even choose the most advantageous route.

In my role as President of the Republic, I have endeavoured to help my countrymen to recognize and face globalization and to take advantage of its benefits. One of the ways I have used is to provide visibility to examples of success. Portugal is today a country where problems coexist with extraordinary success stories, which testify to the capacity for innovation and entrepreneurialism of people who do not fear these times and whose references for competitiveness are governed by the highest international standards.

This fearless Portugal, that does not give up, that embraces opportunities, is the Portugal which can be identified with the many who, in the past, departed to search for a better future and those who, more recently, dared to internationalize their businesses. The Portuguese community in Brazil is a good example of these two realities.

Those who came here many years ago gave their work to this land and honoured Portugal with the example of their determination and their capacity to face difficulties. Brazil is filled with examples of the work that the Portuguese and their descendants carried out, and which undertook – and undertake – so much, for the aggrandizement of the relations between our two countries.

More recent times brought to Brazil large investments from a Portuguese economy that again learnt the route to internationalization, from a country which ceased being an exporter of labour and importer of capital, to become a net importer of labour and an exporter of capital. Investments which, with greater or smaller variations, in one sense or another, still exist, thus testifying Portugal’s confidence in the Brazilian economy.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Portugal and the Portuguese-Brazilian relations need you, all of you: those who came here long ago, the descendants of the Portuguese and those who arrived later.

Chambers of Commerce are a fundamental instrument to enlist everybody. To achieve this, nobody must be forgotten, and people must be congregated, must be federated, and must meet. To know how to take advantage of everybody’s experience and never hesitate to accept renewal in order to attract the new generations. To recognize what is essential and not waste time with the secondary.

And it is essential to prop up the newly arrived, or whoever wants to undertake, to promote what we are and what we have to offer in all possible fields, stimulate partnerships, and fraternize with the Brazilian society.

Honourable Ambassador
Honourable President of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Brazil

I have no doubts that the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Brazil will know how to find the means to strengthen the economic relations between the two countries adapted to current times. I wish to thank all its members for what they have done and, I am certain, for what they will continue to do for the future of Brazil, for the future of Portugal, and for the future vast number of matters which unite us.

Thank you very much