Lisbon, July 12, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's foreign minister told Lusa that the CPLP has great potential, particularly given the number of Portuguese speakers worldwide, and that the organisation continues to have significant untapped potential.
“The Community of Portuguese Language Countries [CPLP] has been an important instrument of foreign policy for all member states,” Paulo Rangel began by explaining in a telephone interview conducted to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary.
“Clearly, the potential is vast; in other words, we have only begun to explore it. Together, we can achieve more,” he emphasised.
For the head of Portuguese diplomacy, the CPLP, as a regional organisation united by a common language, has “enormous international prospects for the future”.
Rangel pointed out that by the end of the century, there will likely be 600 million Portuguese speakers, and that Portuguese is perhaps the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere, reinforcing the community’s potential.
“I believe that, given this demographic significance, and also the economic importance of many CPLP states, which will grow throughout this century, we will obviously achieve far greater visibility and influence than we have today,” he said, noting, however, that the CPLP is currently a “vitally important instrument of self-assertion”.
Furthermore, he stressed, the number of CPLP observers has been increasing, “which is, perhaps, the main evidence of the community’s growing importance when viewed from the outside”.
For his part, whilst insisting that the organisation “can go much further”, he noted that “it is clear that an organisation such as this will focus on its own mandate rather than replicate the African Union, the European Union, or the Ibero-American Community”, as “each has its own place and context”.
However, as several countries are members of various blocs, the European Union, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), amongst others, the minister considered that this “multiple” presence “amplifies the role and influence of the CPLP”.
“Frankly, I see the future as holding good prospects, not to say very good prospects, and I recognise that, in addition to all that we have already achieved, we can do much more together,” he said.
Regarding plans and agreements within the community, Rangel stated that significant progress has been made, particularly in mobility within the organisation and in promoting the language.
Furthermore, he added that, in his view, there are interesting initiatives such as the launch of a common-core degree in public health across member states, announced by the minister at the 2025 Bissau summit, which, he emphasised, is “moving forward”.
Overall, the minister gives a “frankly positive” assessment of the organisation over the past 30 years.
The CPLP, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on 17 July, comprises Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.
NYC/ADB // ADB.
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