Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, Nov. 5, 2024 (Lusa) - The president of the regional government of the Azores, José Manuel Boleiro, has today encouraged the Azorean diaspora in Bermuda to consider the archipelago a "region of opportunities" that offers favourable conditions for investment.
"It's worth investing in the Azores," the leader of the Azorean PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition executive said on Monday during a reception at the House of the Azores in Bermuda, during his official visit until Tuesday.
According to a press release from the regional government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro declared that the region "is at a stage of development that could generate significant benefits for those who choose to invest in its islands".
The chief executive also recognised the progress that the Azores have made, "the result of the work of successive governments and the invaluable contribution of its communities, both in the archipelago and in the diaspora".
"We've evolved a lot in the Azores with everyone's contribution, we're much better today and we'll be even better tomorrow," he said.
The visit to Bermuda comes in the year that marks the 175th anniversary of official Azorean emigration to Bermuda, which began in 1849.
The Azores House of Bermuda, visited on Monday by the leader of the Azores regional government, was founded on 10 March 2015 and, according to the source, "has played a fundamental role in preserving and promoting Azorean culture and heritage in the Atlantic archipelago".
José Manuel Bolieiro took the opportunity to highlight the role of the Houses of the Azores around the world, which he described as "true embassies of the Azores and Azorean culture".
These institutions have taken on an extremely important mission by "keeping alive the connection between Azorean communities abroad and their roots, traditions and cultural values" and are "an essential link that strengthens the relationship between the region and its vast diaspora".
In his speech, the minister emphasised the importance of a close and fruitful relationship between the Azores and Bermuda, "given the deep historical and cultural bond that unites both peoples: around 20% of Bermuda's resident population is of Portuguese origin, with the vast majority (90%) being of Azorean descent".
"The Azoreans have helped build Bermuda's success," Bolieiro pointed out, emphasising the "invaluable contribution that this community has made to the economic and social development of the territory".
With the rapprochement between the regional governments of the Azores and Bermuda, the minister said it was possible to realise a "more solid and beneficial future for both communities".
The president of the regional government of the Azores also extended an official invitation to prime minister David Burt to visit the Azores "in the name of the past and for the sake of the future".
"The world's islands need to come together to set a good example to the rest of the world," he said, emphasising that "island nations must set an example in terms of sustainability".
ASR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
