The President of the Republic today received heads of state with non-executive powers of the European Union, at the beginning of the meeting of the Arraiolos Group, at a dinner in the port wine cellars, focusing on the war in Ukraine.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived at the pier of Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Porto district, at 7:48 p.m., followed by the heads of state of Italy, Poland and Ireland, who traveled in their own vehicles.
The rest arrived in minibuses, with the exception of the German head of state who could not attend the dinner.
The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, who will only join the group as a guest on Friday, will also not participate in the dinner.
Near the cellars, where the dinner takes place, many people were waiting to find out what had prompted such strict security measures. Some associated it with the celebration of October 5.
Upon arrival, and in statements to journalists, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa assumed that the meeting of the Arraiolos Group was “very important” to “understand the pulse” at the level of the Heads of State of the European Union regarding the war in Ukraine.
‘It is very important to understand what the pulse is at the level of heads of state [sobre a guerra na Ucrânia] because the European Council takes its pulse at the level of governments, that is to say at the level of prime ministers and governments, with one or two exceptions, which are presidential regimes,” said the Portuguese head of state.
On Friday, heads of state will meet in two sessions, with a lunch break, the first starting at 10:15 a.m. and the second at 2:30 p.m. At the end of the debate, which is not open to the media, there will be a joint press conference at 5:30 PM.
According to the Presidency of the Republic, “the heads of state of Germany will be present, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, from Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, from Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar, from Estonia, Alar Karis, from Finland, Sauli Niinistö , from Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, from Hungary, Katalin Novák, from Ireland, Michael Higgins, from Italy, Sergio Mattarella, from Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics, from Malta, George Vela, and from Poland, Andrzej Duda”.
After the meeting, there will be a dinner for the heads of state in Palácio da Bolsa at 8 p.m.
The last meeting of the Arraiolos Group in Portugal took place nine years ago in Braga, in September 2014, when Cavaco Silva was President of the Republic, and was attended by Jorge Sampaio as a guest.
Source: DN
