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

It is with immense satisfaction that my Wife and I welcome President Boris Tadic, as well as the delegation that accompanies him, on this first Official Visit to Portugal.

Portugal welcomes you, Mister President, as the Head of State of a country with which we have historical links of close friendship and cooperation and that is preparing to share with us a common future within the framework of the European Union.

The economic relationship between our two countries is over a century old and was formalized by the signing, in September 1910, of a Trade Agreement between Portugal and Serbia.

Later on, during the Second World War, it was in this village of Cascais that some of the main figures of Serbian literature found refuge, fleeing from the Nazi horror and dedicated to this place and to Portugal, some of their most beautiful pages.

Today, Portugal and Serbia enjoy excellent political and diplomatic relations, as witnessed by the notable dynamism that is a feature of our economic and cultural relationship.

Mister President,

Your visit to Portugal has a particular symbolism which I wish to highlight. It takes place less than a month since Serbia obtained candidate status to the European Union.

Portugal is proud of having always been at the forefront in supporting Serbia’s European integration. We believe that Serbia is, in its own right, a member of the European family. We see the enlargement of the European Union to Serbia and to the Western Balkans region as the achievement of an historical objective of the process of European construction.

We are convinced that Serbia’s integration in the European Union, besides strengthening and enriching the European project, will contribute towards the promotion of stability and security in the Western Balkan region, allowing it to make the most of all its strategic and economic potential.

I want to pay tribute, on this occasion, to President Boris Tadic’s contribution in maintaining Serbia’s European path and in making sure that Serbia becomes a factor of stability and progress for the whole region. This is a contribution that reflects the political courage and the determination with which President Tadic has fought for peace, stability, justice and respect for Human Rights, as well as for the primacy of dialogue and compromise as the means to the resolution of regional disputes.

This was very justly recognized by the Council of Europe, which decided to award him its North-South Prize, at a ceremony tomorrow in the solemn scenario of Portugal’s Parliament, to which I will have the honour to associate myself,.

I wish to assure you, Mister President, that Serbia can continue to rely on Portugal’s support for an early start of its negotiations for accession to the European Union. Portugal continues to be available to contribute, with its own experience, in order that the implementation of reforms and the compliance with the adhesion criteria may take place at a good pace, so that accession may become a reality in the near future. As in the case of Portugal and other member States, this will be, a demanding path for Serbia. But I am certain that it will be carried out with the same firmness, determination and spirit of compromise that allowed Serbia to achieve candidate status.

Serbia’s process of European integration will contribute to even greater proximity between our two countries, strengthening the contacts between our citizens and institutions, as well as promoting further cultural, scientific and entrepreneurial exchanges.

A favourable contractual framework already exists to favour the deepening of our economic cooperation. The experience of the Portuguese business sector in many of the areas defined by the Serbian authorities as priorities for its economic development – such as infrastructure construction, transport, energy, environment, water management, health and telecommunications -, places it in an excellent position to strengthen its presence in the Serbian market, and thus contribute towards the country’s economic and social development.

Mister President,

The quality of our political relationship, as well as the values and interests we share, allow us to look to our future cooperation with confidence and ambition.

I am convinced that, together, we will know how to take advantage of much that brings us closer together to build an ever closer partnership, for the stability, development, and promotion of the social and economic welfare of our peoples.

It is in this spirit and with this conviction that I ask you all to join me in a toast to the health and personal happiness of President Boris Tadic, to the realisation of Serbia’s European aspirations, to the strengthening of relations between our countries and to the increasing prosperity of our peoples.