Portugal wants to collaborate to improve treatment for Brazilians

The Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, said this Sunday (23) that the Portuguese government wants to collaborate to improve the treatment given to Brazilians living in that country. According to the minister, the resumption of the summit meeting between the two countries marks the return of dialogue with the Portuguese government to build forms of cooperation. “The Portuguese government wants to collaborate so that Brazilians here have the treatment they deserve, dignified treatment and respect for human rights,” he said. According to him, the Portuguese government demonstrated in bilateral meetings that Brazilians should not be treated as foreigners in the country and that there is a “feeling of partnership” for the reconstruction of diplomatic and commercial relations. “There is a six-year dialogue deficit. They have many accumulated problems from some practices of xenophobia, problems with education, treatment, dialogue. The interest of both Brazil and Portugal, which was evident in these meetings, is to make corrections and strengthen our ties even more”, he added. Almeida and the Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Márcio Macêdo, met with representatives of social movements organized by Brazilians in Lisbon. The ministers are in the Portuguese capital as members of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s entourage, on an official trip to the country. At the meeting, the ministers received reports of cases of xenophobia against Brazilians, in addition to requests for improvements in the service provided by embassies and consulates. Almeida and Macêdo also heard requests for financial help for migrants in difficulty. The Minister for the Promotion of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, is also part of the delegation on the official visit and, like Silvio Almeida, has been dealing with the subject. She stated that the network to face racism and xenophobia against Brazilians will have the support of the Brazilian consulate and Portuguese authorities. On Saturday (22), among the 13 agreements signed with Portugal, President Lula and the ministers signed a memorandum of understanding for the exchange of good practices in the promotion and defense of the rights of people with disabilities.

Agência Brasil