"The overthrow of the dictatorship in Portugal owed much to the struggle of the colonized peoples for freedom. A struggle not only political, but also cultural. Between us, however, several traces of unity remained, of which I highlight the most perennial and powerful: the Portuguese language", said, this Friday, Francisco Alegre Duarte.
Speaking at the Venâncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy, where he was a speaker on the theme "The April Revolution: Turning Point of the Portugal – Angola Relationship", the diplomat also paid tribute to the Captains of April, to whom Portugal, he noted, owes its freedom.
According to the Portuguese ambassador in Angola, the revolution was carried out by soldiers "who fought in Africa, and here they became aware that they were fighting a dead-end war, against the march of history".
The dictatorship "was blocked and refused to negotiate", he highlighted, adding that "the freedom of the Portuguese was inseparable from the freedom of Africans".
Francisco Duarte defended the need to honor and preserve the memory of all those who "fell" in favor of freedom, "both those who fought for Portugal through the Empire, and those who fought for liberation and independence" at the level of the colonies.
"They were all patriots and, five decades after a war that culminated in twin liberations, it is our responsibility to honor their sacrifice with dignity," he noted.
Francisco Alegre Duarte also considered that the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April and the 50th anniversary of Angola's independence (which will be marked on the 11th of November 2025) are "two closely interconnected milestones, which makes perfect sense" to mark together, "in a mature and uncomplexed way".
"That's why I'm pleased with the presence, within a few days, in Portugal, of [Angolan] President João Lourenço, to participate in the official celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Portuguese democratic Revolution, at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa", he noted.
For the diplomat, the 25th of April 1974 was a "successful, internally" revolution, highlighting that Portugal, despite not being a perfect country, facing specific problems and others common to other European democracies, "today breathes democracy and freedom".
"And the ultimate moral superiority of democracy consists in the ability to frame and integrate, within the limits of democratic legality, all political forces, including some that are, in essence, antidemocratic", he pointed out.
The Portuguese diplomat also highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between Luanda and Lisbon in various areas, highlighting the "dense economic interconnection that unites the two peoples" as the engine of the relationship that "must be well cared for and oiled".
For Francisco Alegre Duarte, the presence of João Lourenço, "within a few days", in Portugal, will be an excellent opportunity to meet Luís Montenegro and his team, believing that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal "will establish excellent cooperation, which will give impetus to the deepening of the bilateral relationship.
