The President of the Government stated that the official visit to Bermuda, which ended today with a meeting with Premier Edward David Burt, was very useful and productive, both for the contacts with the Azorean community and for the institutional meetings with the authorities of this territory.
"This was a very useful and productive visit and the balance is clearly positive," Vasco Cordeiro told journalists at the end of this visit held on occasion of the 170th anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese emigrants to Bermuda.
At this meeting, Vasco Cordeiro thanked Premier Burt not only for the invitation and hospitality, but also for “what this visit represents in terms of knowing better how political institutions, namely the Government of Bermuda, regard the contribution and the role played by the Portuguese, mostly Azoreans, in this territory.”
“It was a visit that also enabled us to get in touch with our community, from the perspective of becoming better acquainted with the way it is integrated, the challenges that lie ahead, and with the way the Azorean Government can help overcoming these same challenges,” said Vasco Cordeiro.
This was Vasco Cordeiro's first official visit to Bermuda, which has been the destination of Azorean emigration since the mid-19th century.
About 20 to 25 per cent of Bermuda's population is estimated to be of Portuguese descent. Among them, 90 percent are of Azorean origin.