Ambassador Ramalho Ortigão presents credentials
The new
Ambassador of Portugal to Malta,
H.E. António Ramalho Ortigão, yesterday presented his Letters of Credence to the
President of Malta, H.E. Edward Fenech Adami. The ceremony took place in the Ambassador’s Room at
the Palace in Valletta.
The Ambassador was accompanied by Mrs Ramalho Ortigão and Embassy First Counsellor Dr António
Pinheiro Marques.
LInk to Ambassador Ramalho Ortigão's CV
President of Malta on state visit to Portugal
President of Malta Edward Fenech Adami has been on a
two-day state visit to Portugal
accompanied by Mrs Fenech Adami.
During his visit, President Fenech Adami held talks with Portuguese counterpart Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Prime
Minister José Sócrates, and the president of
parliament Jaime José de Matos da Gama.
He also visited Fatima. A 25-strong business
delegation is also in Portugal
seeking new business opportunities.
A Taste of Madeira
The Embassy of Portugal in Malta recently organised an event to promote the
Portuguese islands of Madeira amongst local
travel agents and tour operators. The event included tasting of Madeira wine and other delicacies, as well as a visual
presentation of this Atlantic archipelago’s diverse tourism offer, particularly
in terms of its eco-tourism, heritage and leisure attractions. For more
information about the islands of Madeira,
visit the official website located at www.madeiratourism.org.
The Two Faces of
War
The Embassy of Portugal, in collaboration with St. James Cavalier Centre
for Creativity, will be screening the documentary As Duas Faces da
Guerra (The Two Faces of War), on Monday, 27th October 2008 at
18.00 hrs. The screening of the documentary will be followed by a dialogue
session with the participation, amongst others, of the film’s director, Diana Andringa. This event is being held in support of the
European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
In 1963, the PAIGC – the African
Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde – embarked upon a
struggle for the liberation of these countries from Portuguese colonial rule.
The PAIGC’s leader, Amílcar
Cabral, had always made it clear that they were fighting colonialism and not
the Portuguese people. And it was in Guinea-Bissau
that the Army Movement that led to the Carnation Revolution in Portugal
was born.
Ultimately, the conflict brought no
hate, but friendship. The documentary, which was produced last year, attempts
to find out how this could happen and projects the conflict as seen through the
eyes of some of its direct protagonists, scattered throughout Guinea, Cape Verde
and Portugal.
In doing so it brings to the fore issues such as colonialism, reconciliation
and intercultural dialogue.
Bookings can be made by contacting the St. James Cavalier booking office
on tel. 21 223200 or via email at boxoffice@sjcav.org.
World renowned Portuguese singer for Manoel
Theatre Concert
The Embassy of Portugal in Malta, in
collaboration with the Manoel Theatre, is proud to
announce a concert by world renowned Portuguese singer Teresa Salgueiro, who will be
accompanied by the Lusitânia Ensemble. The concert,
entitled “LA SERENA”,
will take place on Tuesday 21st October at the Manoel
Theatre in Valletta.
Teresa Salgueiro is
acknowledged as one of Portugal’s
most accomplished contemporary singers. Between 1987 and 2007 she recorded more
than twelve award winning CDs with the group Madredeus
(released by EMI) which sold more than five million copies worldwide.
In 2006, Teresa Salgueiro
released her first solo album ‘Obrigado’ (EMI edition), and in 2007 she
embarked on the ‘La Serena’
project, accompanied by the Lusitânia Ensemble (Farol edition). Teresa has constantly toured within Europe,
Brazil, Mexico, Argentina,
the United States and China.
Nowadays, she is a cultural ambassador of Portugal, offering a modern, yet
traditional music that had no specific genre. The Lusitania Ensemble was formed by Jorge Varrecoso Gonçalves specifically to work with Teresa Salgueiro on her solo projects, foremost amongst which “LA SERENA”.
During “LA SERENA” Teresa Salgueiro
will sing an eclectic range of classics rendered famous by artists such as
Italian Lucio Dalla and
Brazilians Caetano Veloso
and Tom Jobim, as well as some of the most popular
songs from the Portuguese fado tradition, originally sung by major artists such as Amália Rodrigues.
Tickets for the
concert, at € 20, € 15, € 10 and € 8, can be obtained from the Manoel Theatre booking office. Bookings can be made by
phoning the booking office on 2124 6389 or by sending an email to bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt
Sponsors:
Ambassador
ends mission in Malta
H.E. António
Russo Dias has ended his mission as Portugal’s
Ambassador to Malta.
His term came to an end on the 4th September. Ambassador Russo Dias was Portugal’s first resident ambassador to Malta.
Ambassador
Russo Dias’ term in office was underlined by significant developments in the
political, economic and cultural relations between Malta
and Portugal.
Tribute to Portuguese who came to Malta’s aid in
Blockade
H.E. The President of Malta, Dr Edward Fenech
Adami, yesterday unveiled a plaque commemorating the
Portuguese Admiral Marquis de Nisa and the Portuguese
sailors and marines who assisted the Maltese in their insurrection against the
French in 1798. The plaque, an initiative of the Portuguese Embassy in Malta, was installed at the Upper Barrakka
Gardens in Valletta, overlooking the harbour area where
much of this historic episode took place.
Present at the
ceremony were the President of Malta and Mrs Fenech Adami, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
government ministers, members of the diplomatic community and other
distinguished guests. The outgoing Ambassador of Portugal to Malta, H.E. António
Russo Dias, took the opportunity to publicly bid farewell to the islands,
thanking President Fenech Adami,
the local authorities and the Maltese people for their “welcome and support”,
which made his mission “exceptionally easy and fruitful”. H.E. António Russo Dias was Portugal’s
first resident Ambassador to Malta.
During the ceremony,
historian Prof. Henry Frendo delivered a lecture
entitled “Making amends with History: A vindication of Maltese-Portuguese
relations”.
Historical
background - Admiral Marquis de Nisa comes to Malta’s
assistance during blockade
On 19 September 1798, two weeks after the
popular revolt against the French, the Portuguese fleet in the Mediterranean
came to the relief of Malta.
It was under the command of Admiral Domingos Xavier
de Lima Pinto Guedes (1765- 1802), 7th
Marquis de Nisa, who blockaded and laid siege to the
French, and landed a contingent to help the Maltese patriots. The Portuguese admiral gave the
Maltese 500 muskets while two of his officers came ashore to advise them on the
best location for their trenches and posts facing Valletta and Cottonera.
A Portuguese officer, Xavier Mattheus, was commended for his bravery in the field, while
other Portuguese marines died fighting in the harbour area. The fleet sailed
for home on the 13 December 1799, when two British regiments reached the
island, but not before the Maltese National Congress had thanked the Marquis de
Nisa officially for his support to Malta at a decisive moment in its
history. The Admiral also received recognition for his actions from Lord
Nelson, as well as the British and Portuguese monarchs.
Maltese
Ambassador appointed to Portugal's Order of Merit
Malta’s Ambassador to Portugal, Salv
Stellini has been appointed a Member of Portugal's
Order of Merit by Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva. The award was in recognition of Mr Stellini's contribution, as Malta's
first resident Ambassador in Lisbon,
to the strong relations existing between the two countries. The appointment was
made at a farewell call by the Ambassador on the President, prior to the
termination of his tenure at the end of June. President Cavaco
Silva said Maltese-Portuguese relations will be further strengthened later this
year with a visit by President Edward Fenech Adami, whom he very much looked forward to welcoming in Lisbon.
Portugal-Malta relations at an all-time high
On the occasion of Portugal’s
National Day, the Embassy of Portugal in Malta hosted a reception on the 10th
June. This was attended by the Hon. Prime Minister, Dr 
Lawrence Gonzi and
Mrs Gonzi. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Tonio Borg and other
cabinet ministers, President Emeriti Prof. Guido Demarco and Dr. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici,
Chief Justice Vincent Degaetano, Central Bank of Malta Governor Michael Bonello,
AFM Commander Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, Members of
Parliament, diplomats, members of the Portuguese community in Malta and local
personalities.
In a brief address, the Ambassador of Portugal
to Malta, H.E. António Russo Dias, referred to the forthcoming end of his
mission in Malta.
Ambassador Russo Dias highlighted the progress which has been achieved in
relations between the two countries, in the political, economic and cultural
spheres, particularly since Portugal
and Malta
upgraded the level of their diplomatic representations to that of resident
ambassadors.
Prime Minister Gonzi
also made reference to these developments, and emphasised the ease with which
Portugal and Malta understood and supported each other at a political level, as
well as the significant flow of Portuguese investment into Malta, represented
by the presence of one of Portugal’s major banks, Banif
Bank, in the local economy. He paid tribute to Ambassador Russo Dias for his
role in bringing relations between the two countries to unprecedented levels.
Campolide and Ta’Xbiex
embark on road to cooperation
The Mayor of Campolide,
a district in the city of Lisbon, Dr Jorge Teixeira dos Santos,
recently made a courtesy visit to the Mayor of the Maltese town of Ta’Xbiex,
Mrs Antoinette Vassallo, at the local council’s
offices.
During their meeting, Dr Santos and Mrs Vassallo discussed the possibility of the two localities
entering into a cooperation agreement which would, amongst others, facilitate
the exchange of visits between residents of Campolide
and Ta’Xbiex.
Throughout his visit, Dr Santos was accompanied
by the Campolide council treasurer, Mr Filipe Alexandre Botas.
Junta de Freguesia de Campolide Ta’Xbiex Local Council
Portuguese
and Maltese conservationists join forces
The Portuguese Society for the Study
of Birds, known as SPEA (Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves) is assisting
Birdlife Malta in the
implementation of the Yelkouan Shearwater Project, Malta’s
largest conservation initiative.
The main
aim of the project is to protect Yelkouan Shearwaters
(Puffinus yelkouan) at the
largest breeding site, Rdum tal-Madonna,
in the North of Malta. The project will also improve this protected site for
wildlife and visitors.
The
importance of the cooperation between these two conservation organisations
stems from the fact that the Maltese
Islands are home to
approximately 10% of the world’s population of Yelkouan
Shearwaters.
The European Union’s Life Nature Fund is providing 50% of the
funding required for this project.
http://www.lifeshearwaterproject.org.mt/en/
http://www.spea.pt/
