The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations defended in Viseu the "empowerment" of the different Portuguese diasporas through enhanced coordination and collaboration among them.
 
Rui Bettencourt spoke at the panel on "The Autonomous Regions and the Diaspora" under the 4th Meeting of Diaspora Investors, expressing the full availability of the Region and the Azorean Government to collaborate in this achievement of this goal.
 
"It is clear that the Autonomous Region of the Azores is more than available to coordinate its measures as well as to enhance the measures under consideration at national level and the strategies that can be jointly adopted. We are available for this enhancement, all the more so as we bring one and a half million Azoreans and major investors from the USA, Canada and Brazil to the national dimension," said the government official.
 
For the Regional Secretary, several questions arise "when there is a diaspora of this size that wants to be involved in the Region's development project," considering that "we must create tools to foster this involvement."
 
The Secretary for External Relations highlighted the recent creation of the Azorean Diaspora Council as one of these instruments, stating that it is essentially intended to "involve all Azoreans in the development project of the Azores," a matter that "should be discussed" nationwide.
 
Rui Bettencourt presented the registration process on the "Azoreans in the World" platform, currently under way, with a view to registering Azoreans from all over the world. They will also have the possibility of electing their representatives at a Council that will also include representatives of the National Government, "so that they can better coordinate policies amongst themselves through this entity, which aims to enhancing this strategy of involving the Portuguese diaspora and investors from the Portuguese diaspora."
 
"All this contributes to a context of collaboration, coordination and empowerment of the different national diasporas that can be enhanced when regarded together by the National Government and the Governments of the Autonomous Regions," said the Regional Secretary.
 
In his speech, Rui Bettencourt addressed the potentialities and challenges of the Azores. In this regard, he highlighted their "specific geostrategic positioning" as well as their "human geostrategic reality and human potential," which is their diaspora with six times more the population living in the archipelago. According to him, "this gives a clear idea of the worldwide projection of this diaspora."
 
 "In the Azores, we like to regard Azorean investors from the diaspora as part of a very broad diaspora reality, from a cultural and geopolitical standpoint and also in terms of influence, because we are talking about politically, socially and economically influential diaspora," the government official said, defending "a more global look at all this."
 
The Regional Secretary also expressed the Regional Government's availability to hold a new Interim Meeting of Diaspora Investors in the Azores next year, following the 1st Interim Meeting held on Terceira Island in 2018, which had “an important impact on several areas.”
 
The 4th Meeting of Diaspora Investors is promoted by the Secretariat of State for Portuguese Communities, through the Diaspora Investor Support Office (GAID), together with the Centro Regional Coordination and Development Commission and the Viseu Dão Lafões Inter-municipal Community. This initiative aims to provide an opportunity to promote and enhance mutual knowledge, share experiences and learn about new institutional mechanisms to support investment in Portugal, also fostering relevant partnerships and businesses.