The Regional Under Secretary for External Relations begins Thursday an official visit to the Azorean communities in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. During his visit, he will meet with the heads of the Houses of the Azores in these two Brazilian cities in addition to institutional meetings with state and local authorities.

"This visit is primarily intended to continue the Regional Government's efforts to strengthen its presence with our Diaspora communities, especially at major events and those to promote 'Azoreanity,' such as the case of the Cultural Meetings promoted by the Houses of the Azores of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro," said Rodrigo Oliveira. The government official stressed that "these events are of great importance, whether in the cultural life of these cities or in the external projection of the Azores."

According to Rodrigo Oliveira, this visit also aims to "associate communities to the component of political relations." Hence, the Regional Under Secretary will be accompanied by the heads of the Houses of the Azores in the scheduled meetings with state and municipal authorities in order to promote "bilateral cooperation with these two very important South American states and municipalities and value our communities rooted in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with local political actors."

On the first day of this visit to Brazil, Rodrigo Oliveira will meet with Ana Conde, Chief Advisor for International Relations of the State Government at the Bandeirantes Palace, the seat of Government of the State of São Paulo. He has also scheduled meetings with the Municipal Secretary of Culture of São Paulo, Nabil Bonduki, and the Secretary of Energy of the State of São Paulo, João de Souza Meirelles, who is of Azorean descent.

Also on Thursday, the Regional Under Secretary, who will be accompanied on this visit to Brazil by the Regional Director for Communities, Paulo Teves, will chair the opening session of the 14th Cultural Meeting of the House of the Azores of São Paulo. Before the event, the government official has a scheduled visit to the headquarters of this institution, founded in 1980, and a meeting with its board.

The 14th Cultural Meeting of the House of the Azores of São Paulo, which runs until Saturday under the theme "Hymns, Emblems and Flags - The Importance of Meaning in Life and Citizenship," includes several lectures that will count on the participation of groups of students from state schools and colleges.

On Friday, the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations will travel to Rio de Janeiro, where he has scheduled meetings at Palácio da Cidade (palace) with the Under Secretary of State for International Relations, Pedro Jorge Spadale, and the Under Secretary of International Relations Culture for Culture, Olga Campista; both are members of the State Government. He will also meet with the Coordinator of International relations of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Laudemar Aguiar.
 
On the second day of the visit, Rodrigo Oliveira will meet with the board of the House of the Azores of Rio de Janeiro, an institution founded in 1952, after which he will chair the Opening Session of the 10th Cultural Azorean Meeting of Rio de Janeiro. This year's edition was held under the theme "Holy Christ of Miracles: Purpose, Support and Life of the Azorean People." The three-day programme includes several lectures, the launch of the books "‘Saberes e Sabores dos Açores" (Knowledge and Flavours of the Azores) and "Açores: Quem somos/Porque somos" (Azores: Who we are/Because we are), as well as the tasting of traditional Azorean products.

This visit to Brazil ends Sunday. Rodrigo Oliveira will participate in a lunch with the Azorean community at the House of the Azores, which will also feature the Padre Tomaz Borba Folk Dance Group and the Choir of Santo Cristo dos Milagres Parish.