Brazil and Portugal want more bilateral investments and trade

Criado em 11/06/13 10h48 e atualizado em 11/06/13 10h53
Por Gilberto Costa Edição:s Fonte:Agencia Brasil

Lisbon – President Dilma Rousseff has concluded a two-day visit to Portugal by saying that Brazil-Portugal relations have “…plenty of growing possibilities” (“pode progredir mais”).

The numbers show that there has been a shift in the commercial relationship. According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, bilateral trade in 2012 was worth $2.623 billion (10% less than in 2011), with a surplus for Brazil of $625 million (half what the surplus ($1.2 billion) was in 2011).
Meanwhile, in the first two months of 2013, Portugal ran a surplus with Brazil of $37 million by increasing exports of wine and olive oil – agricultural segment; along with more sales to Brazil in education – the services segment. That was a very positive result for the Portuguese who have been in recession for over two years and have to deal with almost one million people unemployed (in a country with a total population of 10.7 million).

In a speech (toast) at an official dinner where she was the guest of honor, president Dilma declared: “We have accompanied with great attention the efforts of the Portuguese people to deal with a challenging economic situation. We know the history of Portugal, the grandeur of its people and the energy of its entrepreneur spirit; after all, we inherited a part of that very spirit. We are certain that these transitory difficulties will be overcome. We are here as strong partners, ready and willing to work together for more interchange between our nations. At the end of the day, real friends are those who stay firmly beside you in times of difficulty.”
In talks with Portuguese authorities, Dilma revealed that Brazil is preparing to create new opportunities for the private sector in the form of concessions in the areas of transportation and energy in the second half of this year. These are areas where Portugal already has made significant investments in Brazil.

In his remarks, the president of Portugal, Cavaco Silva, expressed gratitude for Dilma visiting the country on the date it celebrated its national day (June 10) and added, “Brazil is a solid point of reference for us and our two countries have a relationship that has a fundamental strategic value.”

The two presidents signed agreements in the areas of science, education and technology. According to the media in Portugal, the visit by Dilma is seen as a possible sign of interest by Brazilians in the privatization of state-run enterprises in Portugal.

Editors: Aécio Amado / Nira Foster
Translator: Allen Bennett