On occasion of the celebrations of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities, the President of the Government stated at Santana Palace that "Portugal is different" in the Azores, a reality that makes the country stronger.
 
"This difference does not diminish us at all. Basically, this is our difference as a People and as a Region that makes Portugal stronger," says Vasco Cordeiro.
 
The President of the Government spoke after the exchange of greetings between the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Portugal and the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the context of the celebrations of the Day Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities, which takes place this year in the Azores.
 
"The Azores are a land of sea. We confer a strategic dimension and importance for the land we are and for the sea we bring. In this new frontier, which already arouses the greed of many, Portugal is what it is because the Azores are what they are," stressed Vasco Cordeiro.
 
In his speech, the President of the Government also stated that the Azores are committed to building bridges and partnerships for peace, science and knowledge. Moreover, they also "bear witness of an Autonomy that wants to be more because of the challenges it has already overcome but, above all, because of the challenges it wants to overcome."
 
Besides, the Autonomous Region of the Azores is at the forefront of fields related to space exploration and spatial knowledge, which strengthens the importance and value of Portugal. As Vasco Cordeiro highlighted, "for all this and even more, there cannot be any doubt that Portugal is, in fact, different here."
 
"And we do not want it to stop being Portugal, but we do not want it to stop being different," said the President of the Government.
 
After emphasising that History and Geography shaped the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro stressed that it is the "intense pride in the word Azores," in the words of Sophia de Mello Breyner, which blows the "breath of life to the identity we hold."
 
"And this pride is neither vain nor is it empty. It is the pride that all those who have resisted storms, earthquakes, volcanoes and pirates can have. It is the pride that all those who have resisted plagues, loneliness and, in some cases, oblivion can have," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
In this "intense pride in the word" Azores" we may also find the pride in what the Azores gave and continue to give the country," the President of the Government said, pointing out the examples of Presidents of the Portuguese Republic, scientists, military, ambassadors, ministers, writers, politicians and poets.
 
"We gave unknown Men and Women who have contributed, with their sweat and tears, to the affirmation of Portugal not only in the American continent but also in other parts of the world. We have sheltered the last stronghold of nationality and were the driving force for the battles for modernity. We gave men and young men who left their lives for Portugal on a battlefield and, even when they did not leave their lives there, some left many parts of themselves, whether part of their body or their spirit," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
"And all this we have done without ever imposing conditions or a bargaining chip. All this we did with an intense pride in the word "Azores," emphasised the President of the Government.