The Regional Director for Communities highlighted on São Jorge the success of the "Meeting of Media Bodies of the Azorean Diaspora: Current and Future Challenges,” stressing that this initiative has fulfilled its goal "to provide a privileged contact with the current reality of the archipelago and its potentialities."
 
Paulo Teves spoke at the closing session of this meeting that took place on the islands of Faial, Pico and S. Jorge involving the participation of 36 media bodies from the Azorean Diaspora. According to him, it was possible "to disseminate the diversity of the Azores of today as well as to promote the sharing of experiences of participants in their communities."
 
 Participants discussed and shared several subjects in the panels "The Diaspora and the Media," "The Value of the Azores", "The Azores Destination," "The Regional Government and External Relations: Communities, Cooperation and Europe," "Environmental Policies in the Azores," "The Promotion of Culture in the Azores," "Youth Policies in the Azores" and "Investment Opportunities in the Azores."
 
 Speaking at the closing session, Paulo Teves stressed the importance of the media as an "important vehicle for the defence of the Region and the affirmation of the Azorean people."The government official stressed that "it is necessary to be aware that the Diaspora congregates thousands of Azorean descendants who, not having been born in the Azores, share and our identity and wish to honour the work of the generations that preceded them."
 
The Regional Director praised the work of all the representatives attending the meeting, noting that it is up to them to "develop and promote the result of the reflections conducted in this meeting in their communities so that "they may enhance our language and culture as well as to pay tribute to the Portuguese spirit on its Atlantic dimension - 'Azoreanity'."
 
"Your mission, mostly conducted voluntarily, has contributed to the cohesion of our Diaspora, the strengthening of our ties and the appreciation of Azorean emigrants," stressed Paulo Teves.