The President of the Government said that the General Assembly of the World Council of Houses of the Azores - which starts in Ponta Delgada on Friday - is "a true representation of the Azores in the world."

Carlos César, accompanied by his wife Luísa, welcomed the presidents of the Houses of the Azores at the Sant'Ana Palace. The government official considered this council as "a parliament of the Azores around the world," being an event of great importance.

"It is important for us that the number and cohesion of Houses of the Azores has strengthened in their fifteen/sixteen years of existence," the President of the Government stated, stressing this year's meeting symbolises "the strength of the Azorean people in different communities."

For the President of the Regional Government, this force has been evidenced through successive generations and the presence of the Azores in the history of these communities, which "is renewed by the people who have not forgotten the Azorean memory and continue to revitalise it from generation to generation."

Considering this work as a very important mission, Carlos César emphasised the unifying role of the Houses of the Azores in their communities as well as the role played by these institutions as representatives of the Azores.

"Therefore, the Regional Government reiterates its support and the need to continue to support the Houses of the Azores in the future," concluded the President of the Government.

The World Council of Houses of the Azores comprises the thirteen Houses: three on Mainland Portugal) (North region, Lisbon and Algarve); four on Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santa Catarina Island and the State of Rio Grande do Sul); three in Canada (Quebec, Ontario and Winnipeg), two in the United States of America (New England and Hilmar) and one in Uruguay (S. Carlos).