Sao Tome, Sept. 3, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's prime minister emphasised on Thursday, after the president of Sao Tome and Príncipe received him, Portugal's role in international relations as it prepares to take up a term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Luís Montenegro first attended the inauguration ceremony for the re-elected President of Sao Tome and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, at the National Assembly and met with the president shortly afterwards at the Presidential Palace.

At the end of the meeting, the press received no statements, but on social media platform X, Luís Montenegro remarked that the inauguration ceremony for the president of the Republic of Sao Tome and Príncipe and the bilateral meeting he held with him «served to strengthen the bonds of deep friendship that unite the two countries».

«We are working together to build a future with more opportunities for cooperation, greater economic development and the continued deepening of the extensive work we already carry out in areas such as security and defence, energy and the environment, education and health. Our dialogue on international issues, starting with the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), is equally essential and all the more important as Portugal prepares to take up a term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council», the prime minister emphasised.

«We stand together, and will continue to do so, to take full advantage of the many things that unite us and the strength of the human bond that brings us so close,» he added.

The prime minister returns to Lisbon this afternoon and, earlier, in remarks to journalists, revealed that Portugal and Sao Tome and Príncipe are preparing a bilateral summit.

«A summit at which we will discuss deepening our current cooperation at various levels, as well as measures to encourage investment by Portuguese companies in Sao Tome and Príncipe. From a bilateral perspective, there are Portuguese people living in Sao Tome and Príncipe and there are São Toméans living in Portugal. There are trade links and economic interests that intersect, and which we also wish to boost,» he said.

From a multilateral perspective, the prime minister emphasised that Portugal and Sao Tome and Príncipe are «united within the CPLP».

«We are members of various international organisations, always sharing a strong common ground of principles and values. As such, there is a whole context that motivates and drives us to strengthen our relationship and our cooperation,» he added.

PMF/ADB // ADB.

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