Nuno Sampaio, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the new executive, who took office at the beginning of April, says there is no change in the migration issue and on continuity of a foreign policy strongly guided by Lusophony.
Speaking to UN News, Nuno Sampaio says he wants more ambition in relations with Portuguese-speaking countries and in strengthening bonds of friendship between people.
«This government, in what is the tradition of Portuguese democratic governments, continues in a stable manner the friendly relationship with all Portuguese-speaking countries. Now we want to have more ambition. I would connect this to what brings me here, which are the Sustainable Development Goals»he declares.
“Integrated and humanist” migration policy
Currently, Portugal hosts more than 980 thousand migrants which could call into question a possible controlled migration policy. A year ago, a model for granting residence permits for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) which has a specific portal for awarding titles.
«Regarding refugees, Portugal is a host country that will continue to be. This government, as is Portugal’s tradition and its program, welcomes both refugees and immigrants, in an integrated and humanistic way. That’s clear. And in relation to that aspect there is no change»he states.
Portugal, in the eyes of its other European neighbors, is seen as a territory that follows a trajectory in the opposite direction, due to the high wave of immigrants welcomed in recent years.
At the same time, the aging rate is one of the highest on the European continent. As one of the new government’s bets, Nuno Sampaio speaks of a policy with strong cooperation with Lusophony driven by the «Atlantic and European geographic and cultural position, and the ability to build bridges»at the level of Economy and culture.
In 2021, the CPLP adopted an agreement on mobility between member states, which became part of the cooperation framework between the eight nations of the bloc.
Photo: UN News
