Following the last meeting of the Permanent Bilateral Commission between Portugal and the USA, which was attended by the President of the Government, the next meeting will be held in the Azores at the proposal of Vasco Cordeiro.

Established by the Cooperation and Defence Agreement between Portugal and the USA in 1995, the Permanent Bilateral Commission is the body responsible for the implementation of that agreement and the promotion of cooperation between both countries.

The next extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Bilateral Commission will take place in the Azores in November or December this year.

On the recommendation of Portugal, the agenda of the next meeting will include a point on the intention to amend the Cooperation and Defence Agreement, as in accordance with the Joint Declaration agreed in Washington.

One should recall that the President of the Government attended the extraordinary meeting of the Permanent Bilateral Commission between Portugal and the USA, held Tuesday in Washington, to specifically analyse the Lajes process.

This meeting led to important progress on the issues related to the U.S. presence at Lajes Air Base and addressed the possibility of alternative uses for that base.