Caracas, March 26, 2026 (Lusa) - Madeira's regional director for communities and external cooperation, Sancho Gomes, has said in Caracas that Portuguese entrepreneurs are expectant and relatively optimistic about the future of Venezuela.
"Our entrepreneurs appeared expectant, it seemed to me that they are hopeful and relatively optimistic. I would say better, moderately optimistic regarding the future," he said.
Sancho Gomes was speaking to the Lusa agency in Caracas, on Wednesday, after a meeting with Madeiran entrepreneurs during an eight-day visit to Venezuela, where he will contact local authorities and Portuguese nationals in the capital city and the states of La Guaira, Miranda, Maracay, Carabobo, Barquisimeto, and Portuguesa.
"Our entrepreneurs say they have felt some positive changes, but they are expectant regarding the future (...) and attentive to business opportunities that may arise from this change in the socio-political context," he stressed.
Regarding the visit, he explained that "it was planned and organised with three different dimensions in mind."
"The first is to assess the situation of our community (...), their families, their businesses, in this phase resulting from the changes in the socio-political context and the intervention of the US in January," he said.
The second objective will be "to look into the possibility of deepening relations between institutions," namely the Central University of Venezuela with the University of Madeira, aiming for "cooperation and integration from an educational point of view."
"The third, is to listen to our Luso-Venezuelan entrepreneurs of Madeiran origin about the possibilities of cooperation and integration of synergies with companies and entrepreneurs who are currently in Madeira," he said.
Sancho Gomes began his visit to Caracas on Tuesday night with a dinner with Madeiran advisors and met on Wednesday with the Academic Vice-Rector of the Central University of Venezuela, Fátima Garcês.
Throughout the visit, according to his explanation, he will always be accompanied by Madeiran advisors in Venezuela from the Caracas, Valencia, and Barquisimeto areas, who, he emphasised, "are five individuals very familiar with the local reality of our community."
He stated that since January, he has spoken with these advisors frequently, almost daily, to monitor the reality in the country.
"The opinion [of the Madeiran advisors] is more or less unanimous with what was conveyed to me by the entrepreneurs: that life goes on, that the community is calm, expectant regarding the future, and that there is a climate of some optimism regarding that same future," he said.
On the other hand, he recalled that Madeira has increased the budget for financial support to the diaspora's associative movement this year, from €50,000 to €60,000, and that the application period will run from 1 April to 30 April.
"I bring a word of friendship and a heartfelt embrace from the regional government. The Madeiran community living in Venezuela, and their families, is a very dear community that contributes indelibly to regional development. It is a community for which Madeira, the regional government, and the Madeiran population have a deep affection. Therefore, we always follow them with great attention, and it was this embrace of the Madeiran people that I intended to bring here," he said.
According to advisor Aleixo Vieira, Sancho Gomes' visit to Venezuela includes a meeting with the Governor of La Guaira State, José Alejandro Terán, and another with the president of the Venezuela/Portugal Parliamentary Friendship Group, Orlando Camacho, who is the President of the Permanent Commission on Energy and Petroleum of the Venezuelan parliament.
FPG/RYOL // AYLS
Lusa
