The President of Guinea-Bissau, Sissoco Embaló, decorated Tuesday by his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with the Grand Collar of the Order of Infante D. Henrique, said that he is a man of the people, a disciplinarian, and not a dictator, highlighting that the country is stronger under his command.
“I managed to reposition Guinea-Bissau in the concert of nations, there are no small States, only small countries, we are all equal, but to achieve this we must have stability, and often in Africa when we want to restore order and discipline, people in they treat them like dictators”, highlighted Embaló, quoted by Lusa.
“Now, I have nothing of a dictatorship, I am an affable person, I am like President Marcelo, I am a man of the people, I cannot be a dictator”, said Sissoco Embaló at the end of a meeting with his Portuguese counterpart, at the Palace of Belém, in Lisbon. In statements without the right to questions from journalists, the president of Guinea-Bissau said that his priority in terms of foreign policy is the relationship with Portugal, considering that it is crucial for the external image of the country, which he recently occupied the presidency of ECOWAS, will occupy the leadership of the CPLP and aspires to also have the presidency of the African Union.
“The strong relationship with Portugal is very important for us and for the world, in Europe the first thing they ask me at meetings is how the relationship with Portugal is,” said the official, adding that also when the State visit of Portuguese president to Senegal, when José Mário Vaz was the head of state of Guinea-Bissau, the local president, Macky Sall, highlighted the importance of “working to increase trust (between Portugal and Guinea-Bissau)”.
In his speech, Sissoco Embaló also said that he realized that there had not been a visit by the President of Portugal to Guinea-Bissau for 31 years, but added that he was sad when Marcelo went to Senegal.