André Bradford, Regional Secretary of the Presidency of the Regional Government, met this afternoon with Congressman Barney Frank in Massachusetts to address issues regarding to the enhancement of the partnership between the Azores and the USA and the U.S. military presence in Lajes.

The following subjects were addressed at the meeting: the evaluation of the consular presence in the Region, in the context of the global review undertaken by the State Department concerning U.S. presence in the world; issues related to immigration laws and the analysis of the reinforcement of funding for civil cooperation projects with the Azores under the Agreement on Cooperation and Defence between Portugal and the USA.

During the meeting, André Bradford took the opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the Regional Government in maintaining a strong and qualified military presence in the Lajes Air Base as well as in strengthening the economic impact of that military infrastructure on the economy of Terceira and the Region through the hiring of Portuguese workers, local purchasing and the provision of services by regional companies.

The government official also conveyed the Region's interest in boosting trade and economic relations between the Azores and the U.S., particularly in the states where there is a strong presence of the Azorean community, such as the case of Massachusetts.

For the Regional Secretary of the Presidency, "the meeting evidenced, once again, the efforts of Congressman Barney Frank on defence issues related to the Portuguese community in Massachusetts as well as his interest in strengthening the relations between the U.S. and the Region, either through the use of the Lajes Air Base the or the development of closer ties between the people and companies from both sides of the Atlantic."

A member of the Democratic Party, Barney Frank was elected by the State of Massachusetts to the United States House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.