President of Portugal Pays Official Visit to Slovakia

President of the Republic of Portugal, Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, with his wife accepted an invitation from the President Ivan Gašparovič and paid an official visit to Slovakia. After the plenary meeting, both presidents expressed satisfaction with the dynamics of the political dialogue and quality of bilateral relations.

The presidents also discussed the possibilities and the prospects of the EU in relation to the issue of the Lisbon Treaty, which has yet to be settled. The president of Slovakia, as well as the president of Portugal agreed that both countries benefited from their membership of the EU. Further, the two officials also discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the energy sector, given Portugal’s experience with the use of alternative energy sources. During the discussion, they also touched on international and political issues, such as Kosovo and the situation in Georgia. Both presidents confirmed efforts to join some of the UN Committees and other organisations where their counties support each other.

Aníbal António Cavaco Silva emphasised that, despite a significant geographical distance, Slovakia and Portugal are partners in the EU and NATO and share very similar opinions. During its fifteen years of independence, Slovakia has achieved remarkable results for which it only deserves congratulations. “

The president of Portugal praised the rapid process of consolidation and reforms, the creation of a transparent market environment as well as the meeting of convergence criteria which were the condition of Slovakia’s accession to the Eurozone.

Aníbal António Cavaco Silva pointed out that he was accompanied by a large group of businessmen, confirming the interest of business and investment parties to scale up the activities of Portuguese companies in Slovakia.

President Ivan Gašparovič expressed his belief that an economic seminar organized for the official visit would bring new business contacts, projects and investment activity.

The president of Portugal also highlighted the cultural aspect of his visit, as it included the presentation of the Portugal – Slovak dictionary, the opening of an exhibition of contemporary Portuguese art and a concert by the Portuguese singer Marisa Nunes, who is an internationally respected performer of the authentic Portuguese music style ‘fado’.