The president of the republic said on Wednesday that he did not discuss internal politics with the prime minister in South Africa for a second, but emphasized the “total convergence” between the two on foreign policy issues.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa answered questions from journalists at the end of Portugal Day celebrations in South Africa, at the Associação da Comunidade Portuguesa de Pretoria, where the head of government, António Costa, left early to travel back to Portugal.
When asked if he had time to speak with António Costa about this week’s parliamentary hearings of current and former leaders, the head of state replied: “I had, I didn’t have time to talk to the Prime Minister, frankly, if not at the entrance and exit of the ceremonies, because it was such an intense program”.
“He spent even less time, he had to leave earlier, he arrived later. And we exchanged impressions from time to time about what was going on here, relations between Portugal and South Africa. It was him with me agree to give more priority to South Africa. South, and South Africa gives to Portugal”he said.
The president of the republic added that they did not speak “good about Portugal”: “There was none, but there was really no time to talk about internal politics”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa avoided qualifying the state of his relations with the prime minister, but stressed that “in international matters there is total convergence”.
When asked if the problem is internal politics, he said: “I won’t say it’s a problem. What I’m saying is that when we’re really focused on foreign policy, and we’re abroad, the international part is fundamental, it dominates the concerns of one and the other” .
Source: DN
