--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Teotonio R. de Souza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Source: Correio da Manha Lisboa, 06-01-2006 PRESIDENT OF PORTUGAL ON VISIT TO INDIA The President regards it as a business visit to aN emerging world power. The visit is planned accordingly. He will be accompanied almost exclusively by those who have experience and intentions of investing and establishing a commercial dialogue with India. This dialogue, according to President's spokesperson, has been insignificant so far. The main personalities accompanying the President will be the representatives of the banks of Portugal, of companies connected with tourism, computers, telecommunications, and directors of the main business associations. The visit is not meant to be tourism oriented neither a pilgrimage, as reported by a source connected with the Presidential palace, and it will be very different from the style of visit conducted by the President Mário Soares in 1992. The visit of Cavaco Silva has been planned with great secrecy. The President has been meeting the businessmen who have been in contact with India and also some members of the parliament. He intends putting in place a 'relationship of the future' with one of the countries that makes the BRIC (Brasil, Rússia, Índia and China), the emerging world powers. Cavaco will be in New Delhi, Goa, Mumbai and Bangalore and the main event will be an economic seminar. While thinking of investment potential, the President is conscious of the Indian investors abroad, such as the Indian businessman Lakshmi Mittal, who has taken over the Arcelor, the second major steel producer in the world. Regarding matters of diplomacy and economy, Portugal wishes to act as bridge between Africa and Brasil. During the visit the President may sign some agreements in the areas of education and a treaty of extradition. During his stay in India, the President of Portugal will meet the President of Índia, Abdul Kalam, the PM, Manmohan Singh, the leader of the Opposition in Lokh Sabha, the Congress Party leader, Sonia Ghandi, and will pay homage to Mahatma Ghandi. In Goa, the President will receive a doctorate `honoris causa' from the Goa University. 67 BUSINESSMEN The President of Portugal will be accompanied by 67 businessmen, who are paying for their trip. Among them will be the directors of Galp, Murteira Nabo, of PT, Henrique Granadeiro, of BES, Ricardo Salgado, of BPI, Fernando Ulrich, and of Millennium BPC, Paulo Teixeira Pinto. All business areas are included in the visit, such as Logoplaste (Filipe de Botton), Siemens (João Picoito), Alcatel (João Araújo), Dan Cake (Kantilal Jamnadas) and Sonae (Carlos Bianchi de Aguiar). 3 CABINET MINISTERS These are the Ministers of External Affairs, Luís Amado, of Economy, Manuel Pinho, and of Culture, Isabel Pires de Lima. They represent the present socialist Government of Portugal. Besides the Cabinet Ministers, the team will include Ministers of State of External Affairs, Gomes Cravinho, and Higher Studies, Manuel Heitor. This latter in representation of the Cabinet Minister,Mariano Gago. The various political parties will also be represented. COMMERCIAL BALANCE AT PRESENT IS AGAINST PORTUGAL India is a market of 1.1 thousand million consumers. The commercial balance is against Portugal, which in 2005, exported goods worth 21,55 milllion euros and imported goods worth 208,1 million euros. According to the Portuguese Bureau of National Statistics (INE) there has been a slow increase of imports (4,9%) and exports (13,7%) between 2001 e 2006. Such rate of increase is considered insufficient to invert the deficit facing Portugal a negative balance of 160,6 million euros between January and September of 2006. Till September of 2006 Portugal exported 21,5 million euros worth of goods, as against 182,1 million euros worth of imports. According to Portuguese National Bureau of Statistics, the number of companies exporting to India grew between 2000 and 2004, from 198 to 349. The companies importing from India grew from 1163 in 2000 to 1620 in those four years. In 2005, 40% of Portuguese exports consisted of machinery, followed by plastic and rubber products (12 por cento), metals (8,2%), leatherware (6,3%), textiles (5,9 por cento) and celulose (5,7 %). BOLLYWOOD IN PORTUGAL The indian film industry may be granted facilities to enter the Portuguese market to promote greater tourism flow from India to Portugal, as reported by `Times of India'. MASS IN PORTUGUESE FOR THE PRESIDENT IN GOA Cavaco Silva will assist a Mass in Portuguese in the Basílica of Bom Jesus. VISIT TO INDIAN SILICON VALLEY The concluding days of the President's visit will include a visit to Bangalore, regarded as the Silicon Valley of India, which has become an attraction point for the latest in computer technology. --- End forwarded message ---
