Welcome to the page of the State Visit to Singapore

My meeting with you here is a motive of great personal satisfaction.

Our nation is in effect extraordinary. There isn’t a place in the world without a Portuguese presence, always asserting itself with a high degree of patriotism and cohesion.

This Entrepreneurial Council witnesses just that in exact terms. I take this opportunity to congratulate the Chargé d’Affaires and Chairman of the Council for this initiative and to salute your organizational capacity.

As you may be aware, I have given particular attention throughout my mandates to the Portuguese Diaspora.

The Portuguese in foreign parts provide an irreplaceable contribution in three parameters: promotion of the values and image of Portugal in the world; energizing the economic activity of their companies in their regions of intervention; and aiding the country through a greater diversification of the markets supplied by Portuguese products.

I was told that there are nine Portuguese companies operating permanently here in Singapore. The number seems to me much higher considering your enthusiasm and your adherence to this initiative.

Economic relations between countries are not abstract. They materialize through the work and the initiatives that promote the companies’ development.

I would be very pleased if you cared to share with me your experiences and your projects.

As you surely know, Portugal is at the moment subject to a programme of economic and financial adjustment, with the support of European institutions and the IMF. The programme is based upon three stays: budgetary consolidation, financial stability and structural reform.

In spite of the difficulty in its implementation, our partners generally assess as positive the degree of execution of our programme and the high degree of political and social cohesion that supports it.

Singapore is known for the uniqueness of its model of economic development. How have your companies become adapted to this framework? Do you already feel the full recovery of your activity in this region of the globe?

An appeal: please remind your local partners that in Portugal we are largely receptive to foreign investment and to entrepreneurial initiative. And do not fail, equally, in encouraging other Portuguese entrepreneurs to exploit the opportunities that are open to our companies in all of South East Asia.

I believe that the worst of the financial crisis will now have gone past in the European and American economies, but the path to growth is still lengthy.

I trust that Portugal will be successful in the near future, and your efforts here in Singapore are an important part of that success.

Thank you very much.