The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, told the Iranian ambassador to Portugal on Friday that the Iranian regime “treat women, young students with care”and that human rights are at stake.
The head of state left this message during a visit to the Diplomatic Bazaar, in the Lisbon Congress Center, an annually organized solidarity initiative, which in this edition had no stalls from the Russian Federation or Ukraine.
Walking past the bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to Ambassador Morteza Damanpak Jami and as he said goodbye, he said: “You have to treat women, young students, women with care, because that’s good for you and good for the world.”
It is a matter of “human rights”, the president of the republic, speaking in English, said with journalists around him.
Leaving the Lisbon Congress Center, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa confirmed that he had told the Iranian ambassador: “to look at the way the Iranian authorities are dealing with the role of women and the social intervention of young women in Iran, to defend their rights”🇧🇷
“It’s a human rights issue. He listened. I was there and took the opportunity to tell him”he added.
During this visit to the Diplomatic Bazaar, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had a lively conversation with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Portugal, Zhao Bentang, to whom he introduced: “Come one day to the Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon, okay? To explain to me the party congress [Comunista da China (PCC)]for me to understand”.
The head of state walked past the stalls selling typical products from each country, and lingered longer at those in France. In Cape Verde it reported: “I will be there in Mindelo on December 10, for a tribute to Amílcar Cabral, at the university”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa received an invitation to visit the Sultanate of Oman and replied that: “I liked it very, very much” go from there.
He asked the representatives of Cuba “when will the president” Miguel Díaz-Canel come to Portugal, while in the Argentine space he reiterated his wish to carry out his visit to this country, which has been postponed: “Yes, yes, let’s do it, we have to.”
“Brazil is all the best, everything, everything, everything, the sea, the sky, the land, everything, people”exclaimed the President of the Republic, at the Brazilian booth, where he received the book “History of Brazil by caricature.”
The Diplomatic Bazaar is promoted by the Association of Families of Portuguese Diplomats, has the support of the AIP Foundation and the sponsorship of the Head of State, who this time was partly accompanied by the visit of the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.
Marcelo defends control of the media and opposition in absolute majority
The President of the Republic defended that the role of the media is very important when there is an absolute majority, as well as the role of the opposition in controlling the government, raising cases and criticizing.
Regarding the resignation of the Deputy Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, Miguel Alves, after he was charged with felony, and asked if he did not believe that more cases have arisen over current rulers, the Head of State replied: “This is the function of the media and the function of the opposition: it is to raise issues or to motivate criticism or disagreement regarding the government.”
“It’s an illusion to think that absolute majority means stopping democracy, suspending democracy. No, democracy continues. We’ve had other absolute majorities before and you know that in these absolute majorities the role of information is very important.”he added.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa gave as an example the role of the newspaper O Independente “in full absolute majority of Prime Minister Cavaco Silva”between the 1980s and 1990s, and also emphasized the importance of “opposition parties”.
Refuse to comment on “concrete cases, much less about future or eventual cases”advised the President of the Republic: “Of course we let democracy run as it is. Whoever should rule, rule. Whoever should resist, resist.”
“The function of the oppositions, of course, when they agree, is to reach an agreement with the ruling party – at the constitutional reform or at the airport or on certain matters – when they disagree, to bring that disagreement to the to put order, stir that disagreement and keep the government under control. public, like communication”to maintain.
Asked about the news that the Prime Minister, António Costa, admits to indicting the former governor of the Bank of Portugal, Carlos Costa, over statements in the book “O Governador”, by journalist Luís Rosa, the head of state said no comment.
“I haven’t read the book, so I won’t comment on a book I haven’t read. It occurred to me yesterday [quinta-feira]I took a quick look, but yesterday [quinta-feira] It wasn’t a good day to read a 300 or 400 page work, so I won’t comment on a book I haven’t read”justified.
In these statements to journalists, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa pointed to 2023 as “a fundamental year” for the evolution of the war in Ukraine and its consequences, as well as “a fundamental year for European funds and for economic recovery” on the internal level.
“These are the big priorities”defended.
Regarding the covid-19 pandemic, the head of state believed that this Friday’s session in Infarmed, in Lisbon, “showed that, looking at the data, there was no risk of resurgence” in Portugal as in the past, but that “attention and prevention” is needed in this case.
Source: DN
