Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa today praised Guinea-Bissau’s “institutional stabilization” in front of his Guinean counterpart, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and welcomed the “capacity for dialogue” between senior representatives of the two countries.
The Portuguese head of state was speaking at the Belém Palace in Lisbon, where he received the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who began a state visit to Portugal today.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Guinea-Bissau has shown “an institutional stabilization that translates at the moment into living what Portugal has been living for almost eight years – and other Portuguese-speaking states have been living for less time as well – which is a stabilized cohabitation” between the President of the Republic and the Government.
Portugal and Guinea-Bissau have “systems of government that are not exactly the same”, with “a similar background which is semi-presidentialism, but in some cases more presidentialism, in other cases less”, said the Portuguese President.
In his opinion, the “institutional stabilization” of Guinea-Bissau establishes “conditions for bilateral cooperation and joint multilateral activity”.
“There is a stabilization here in the relationship between the two peoples, which corresponds to the stabilization in the relationship between the two states and, therefore, a very important and fruitful period in our bilateral relations,” he said.
Addressing Umaro Sissoco Embaló as “friend and brother”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa welcomed “the capacity for dialogue that has existed at the level of the two heads of state, of dialogue, of fraternal friendship”.
“And also from the Portuguese head of government [António Costa] – since the Guinean system is ‘presidential’, within semi-presidentialism, which implies a strong executive contact, together of course with the Guinean government,” he added.
After the speeches by the two presidents, there were no questions from the media.
