CESO participated in the VI Meeting of the Strategic Triangle: Latin America, Europe and Africa held in Lisbon on 18 and 19 April, which discussed the future of the political and economic transatlantic relations.

The initiative was promoted by the Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean (IPDAL) under the high patronage of the President of the Republic.

The event was attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the President of the Institute of Cooperation and the Portuguese Language, the Director General of the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Director General of the CPLP, as well as Ambassadors, World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and diverse personalities.

At the occasion, several themes were addressed, among which we highlight:

• Portugal in the context of the Strategic Triangle;
• Cooperation for Development and Education;
• Political, diplomatic and economic integration;
• Investment Partnerships and Infrastructures.

In the "Cooperation for Development and Education" panel, Rui Miguel Santos, Vice-President of CESO, highlighted the experience and knowledge accumulated by the company over four decades on both sides of the Atlantic. He also emphasized the company's participation as an active and dynamic agent in the ongoing changes in Brazil and Angola.

In the first case, through the involvement of CESO in the implementation of the strategic partnership between the European Union and Brazil through the Sectoral Dialogues project and, in Angola, in supporting the implementation of the Angola-EU Joint Way Forward.

For Rui Miguel Santos, "civil society expects results cooperation, translated into changes with real impact on citizens' lives. Cooperation cannot be reduced to expenditure metrics, reports discussed behind closed doors or legislative changes that end up in the drawer of decision makers. Cooperation must translate into real, sensitive changes by citizens, produced in the short, medium and long term. "

Emphasizing the essential role of Portugal in the strategic triangle between the three continents, the Director General of the Organization of Ibero-American States stressed that these regions are linked by "common histories, shared over centuries, of relations of cooperation, affirmation of identities Cultural, reciprocal friendship, "it is important" to transform these historical relations into cooperative actions that mutually benefit the three continents. "

In the same regard, the Executive Director of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Foundation (EULAC) said that "Portugal, by its position, has always maintained a non-hegemonic policy towards both the European Union and the Atlantic and to the South, it seems to us that it can play a very special role, "concluding:" it seems to us that at a time when there are strategic changes in North America it is important to be able to strengthen the links and alliances between Europe, Latin America And the countries of Africa. "

For more information on the event, see here

April 2017