Portugal

 

President Abdullah Gül along with First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül paid a state visit to Portugal at the invitation of President Anibal Cavaco Silva. President Gül, during his talks with the Portuguese officials, pointed to the fact that Turkey and Portugal have developed their relations by gaining strength from their deep and glorious history, declaring the bilateral relations between Turkey and Portugal, two allies in NATO, to be very good in all areas. Underscoring Turkey’s resoluteness to successfully conclude her ongoing negotiation process with the EU, President Gül, during his address at the Turkey-Portugal Business Forum, called on Turkish and Portugese businessmen to establish stronger partnerships and cooperation.

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül were welcomed by Portuegese Minister for Regional Development Miguel Poiares Maduro, Turkey’s Ambassador to Lisbon, Ebru Barutçu Gökdenizler and other officials at Maduro Military Airport.

GÜL AT THE PALACIO DE BELEM

President Abdullah Gül, the next day, initiated his official program in Lisbon.

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül were welcomed by Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva with an official ceremony at the Belem Palace. After the ceremony, the First Couple had a tete-a-tete with their Portuguese counterparts. The two leaders afterwards chaired the talks between their delegations.

GÜL AT THE TOMB OF POET CAMOES

Prior to the welcoming ceremony at the Belem Palace, President Gül laid a wreath at the tomb of Luis Vaz de Camões, a well-known Portuguese poet, and he later explored the Jeronimos Monastery, which was built in 1502 to commemorate Vasco da Gama’s first voyage to India. President Gül and the First Lady afterwards signed the Book of Honor in the monastery.

JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

President Gül along with President Silva of Portugal held a joint news conference after the delegational talks in Lisbon.

Referring to the accompanying broad delegation of Ministers, MPs and investors on his state visit to Portugal, President Gül said Turkey and Portugal have developed their relations by gaining strength from their deep and glorious history, declaring the bilateral relations between Turkey and Portugal, two allies in NATO, to be very good in all areas.

GÜL MEETS WITH PM COELHO

President Gül, as part of his program in Lisbon, met with Portuguese PM Pedro Passos Coelho. Welcomed by the PM at the Prime Ministry, President Gül, after their tete-a-tete, held a joint press conference with him.

The relations between Turkey and Portugal date back to the 16th century, but when a Portuguese diplomat arrived in Istanbul in 1843, their bilateral relations began to develop, said the President. He declared these relations today to be very strong and said both countries as two allies have so far made great contributions to peace in the world under the roof of NATO.

Pointing to the friendship between the two nations, President Gül predicted that his visit to Portugal will boost the existing relations between the two countries and that the agreements signed by the relevant departments of the two governments will further consolidate these bonds they have.

President Gül further laid emphasis upon the importance for Turkish and Portuguese businessmen to seize the huge opportunities they really have to establish greater cooperation and partnerships to conduct many more investments. Turkey, he recalled, has been a member of the Customs Union since 1996, adding: “Turkey should be given the opportunity to successfully conclude her negotiation process, which is for the benefit of both Turkey and the EU indeed. Some EU countries will hold referenda regarding our membership at the end of this process.

AGREEMENTS SIGNED

Prior to the joint news conference, the following agreements were signed between the relevant departments of the two governments: Framework Agreement on Military Cooperation, Declaration on the Establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee, Memorandum of Understanding on Exchange of Diplomatic Services, Cooperation Program in Education, Science, Technology, Higher Education, Culture, Sports, Youth and Press for the years 2013 and 2016.

After the joint press conference, PM Coelho hosted a luncheon in honor of President Gül.

GÜL MEETSWITH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ESVETES

Afterwards, President Gül met with Portuguese Parliament Speaker Maria Assunçao Andrade Esteves at the Sao Bento Palace, where she welcomed him with a military ceremony.

The President later visited the General Assembly Hall.

GÜL AT THE MUNICIPALITY

Welcomed with an official ceremony by Mayor Antonio Costa upon his arrival at the Municipality of Lisbon, President Gül was also welcomed with applause by students who receive classes about Turkey as part of a program given by the municipality.

Sharing his pleasure with President Gül’s visit, Mayor Costa underscored the importance of the economic bonds and mutual investments between Turkey and Portugal and presented the golden key of the city of Lisbon to the President.

GÜL PRESENTED THE GOLDEN KEY OF LISBON

The President also expressed his happiness to be visiting Lisbon and to be with children at the municipality and said he regarded these children who welcome him in Turkish, as a symbol of the existing friendship between the two nations, revealing his pride in receiving the golden key of Lisbon. President Gül further declared Istanbul to be another princess that has a lot in common with Lisbon, adding that these two cities serve as two bridges of friendship between Turkey and Portugal. He further had a memoir photo taken with the children.

The visit ended with a fado performance at the entrance of the municipality.

THE FIRST COUPLE ATTEND DINNER GIVEN BY THE SILVAS

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül attended the dinner given by President Anibal Cavaco Silva and First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva in their honor.

Extending his thanks to President Silva for his warm welcome and hospitality at the beginning of his address at the dinner, President Gül said the demonstration of the existing friendship between the two countries can be seen best in Istanbul and Lisbon as he noted the similarities the two cities have are also the demonstration of the amity the two nations enjoy. “Portugal to us is not only an Atlantic country but also a Mediterranean one. Therefore, the European-Mediterranean identity we share strongly binds Turkey and Portugal to each other, making the geographic distance between the two countries meaningless.”

Portugal and Turkey are the heiresses of two great empires which left their marks in the European and world history, declared the President, saying: “Our roads met in different geographies and seas centuries ago. The Name-i Hümayuns (Letter sealed by Sultan) which were sent to the then Portuguese Kings by the Ottoman Sultan, Süleyman the Magnificient, were the proof that the two empires of the 16th century were conducting their relations sometimes in rivalry, sometimes in cooperation but always in mutual respect. The diplomatic relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Portuguese Kingdom were launched when the first Portuguese diplomat presented his letter of credence to the Ottoman Sultan in 1843 in Istanbul.”

PORTUGAL’S SUPPORT FOR TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE EU

The peoples of Turkey and Portugal, President Gül continued, are ready to shape Europe and the world in the future as they did in the past, offering his thanks to President Silva for Portugal’s corroboration for Turkey’s efforts to overcome the obstacles on her path to the EU. “The steps we will take together from now on as two countries whose cooperation has proved to be quintessential so far will greatly contribute to the efforts to the establishment of a permanent peace, stability and prosperity in the European-Mediterranean basin.”

GÜL’S RECEPTIONS

President Abdullah Gül, as part of his program in Portuguese, separately received the former Portuguese President and former High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Jorge Sampaio, and Chairman Abdul Magid Abdul Kerim Vakil of the Islamic Community in Lisbon.

TURKEY-PORTUGAL BUSINESS FORUM

President Abdullah Gül and President Anibal Cavaco Silva participated in the closing session of the Turkey-Portugal Business Forum in Lisbon.

Declaring Turkey and Portugal to be two allies and sister countries whose bilateral relations have considerably developed in recent years, President Gül emphasized the perfect relations between the two countries in the political area and pointed to the rise in the economic bonds Turkey and Portugal have. However, he said, the current volume of trade which is worth more than 1 billion dollars does not reflect the real potential they enjoy indeed, adding that the agreements signed during the mutual high level visits between the two countries have crowned these relations.

Referring to the many cooperation areas Turkey and Portugal should seize, the President recalled that Turkey is an EU Customs Union member country that is conducting her negotiation process with the club, saying: “Nevertheless, our businessmen have difficulties in moving as freely as their goods do within the EU because they face unfair visa applications. Even so, we have achieved an economic integration with the club. What should be done today is that both Turkey and Portugal should fully discover each other. We can carry our existing cooperation further.”

GÜL HAS LUNCH WITH PORTUGUESE BUSINESSMEN

President Abdullah Gül, after the business forum, met with Portuguese businessmen during lunch.

NATIONAL PALACE OF SINTRA

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül, as the first leg of their program in Sintra, visited the National Palace of Sintra, which rose on the construction built in the 8th century during Andalucian Amavi times.

THE FIRST COUPLE AT THE PENA NATIONAL PALACE

The First Couple afterwards proceeded to the Pena National Palace, which is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. They, during their visit to the palace, enjoyed the great interest of a group of Turkish tourists who were also visiting the palace at the time.

THE FIRST COUPLE HOST RECEPTION FOR THE SILVAS

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül hosted a reception in honor of President Anibal Cavaco Silva and First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva.

The First Couple welcomed their Portuguese counterparts in front of the Palacio Foz, where the reception was held. Dilek Türkan, during the concert, was accompanied by Derya Türkan on the kemancha, Erdal Akyol on the bass, Baki Duyar on the piano and İhsan Özer on the zither.

The invitees also enjoyed the photos of Istanbul and Lisbon which were taken by İzzet Keribar.

MRS. GÜL VISITS PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM AND FRANCISCO DE ARRUDA SCHOOL

Mrs. Gül and Portuguese First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva explored the Presidential Museum, where presents given by foreign heads of state, portraits of former Portuguese Presidents and medals of honor are on display.

The two First Ladies were interested in the State Medal given by President Gül to President Silva during his official visit to Turkey in 2009, presents and the photos taken during President Silva’s visit.

Afterwards, Mrs. Gül visited Francisco de Arruda School as well. Welcomed by the administration and children with flowers and the flags of both countries upon her arrival at the school, she enjoyed a musical performance by students at the library of the school.

The First Lady was later informed about the National Reading Plan by the officials. A group of students afterwards staged a performance of a Portuguese saga with the theme of the rose, meant as a welcoming gesture for the First Lady since her surname, Gül, means rose in Turkish. Mrs. Gül later planted a sapling in the garden of the school with students with disabilities.

FIRST LADY AT THE EDUCTAION CENTER FOR THE DISABLED

The First Lady visited an education center for citizens with disabilities in front of which she was welcomed by Portuguese First Lady Maria Cavaco Silva, Portuguese PM’s wife Laura Ferreira Garces, Director of the center Dr. Carmen Duarte and General Manager Carina Conduta.

After being informed about the activities of the education center for citizens with disabilities, Mrs. Gül visited the education halls including the classrooms for computer and communication technologies, handicraft, therapy, sports and gymnastics.

The First Lady afterwards proceeded to the health and rehabilitation clinic built by the Portuguese PM’s wife.

Having completed his official program in Portugal, President Abdullah Gül returned to Turkey.