Lula da Silva makes a stopover in Praia and will meet with his counterpart from Cape Verde

“ The stay of the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Cape Verde, for just over an hour, will be an important opportunity for the two heads of state to address relevant issues of common interest”, wrote the Cape Verdean Presidency in a press release.

Highlights, continued the same source, will be the international political situation, in this context of multiple crises, the next summit of Heads of State and Government of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), which will take place at the end of August, in São Tomé and Príncipe, and bilateral relations between Cape Verde and Brazil.

This morning, in a live online broadcast, Lula da Silva announced the meeting with his Cape Verdean counterpart, during a stop in Praia before returning to the South American country, after participating in the summit between Europeans and the Community of States Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC) in Brussels.

“Tomorrow [Wednesday] I'm leaving and going to Cape Verde because the plane doesn't arrive directly. I will take the opportunity to stop by Praia, which is the capital of Cape Verde, to talk a little with the President of Cape Verde, and then I will return to Brazil", said the Brazilian head of state.

In April, on the sidelines of his participation in the VIII ministerial meeting of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (Zopacas), on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, told Lusa that the President Lula da Silva intends to make an official visit to Cape Verde, but no date has yet been set.

“We still don't have a forecast with a precise date, but I'm sure the President will come. He likes Cape Verde a lot, he has a lot of affection for the country and for the entire African continent , ”he said. Photo: Gettyimages

The head of Brazilian diplomacy recalled, at the time, that when he was invited to assume the portfolio, he received the “ mission ” to “ prepare Lula da Silva’s visits to the African continent: “ In his first two terms, he visited more than 18 countries in Africa, he is very affectionate, just yesterday he communicated this to me again, saying that he intended to come to Cape Verde ”.

Mauro Vieira also underlined the joint work carried out by the two countries and the importance of Cape Verde, as an African country “ closest ” to Brazil.

“ We have always worked closely together within the CPLP [Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries] and also on projects that are the result of both countries. But it is a very important country in Brazil ”, he added.

The President of the Republic of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, was one of the heads of state who was present in Brasília, in January, at the inauguration of Lula da Silva.