Today, 26 November, at the Hotel D. Pedro in Lisbon, IPDAL promoted a Dialogue Roundtable between José Cesário, President of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities (CNECP), and the ambassadors of Latin American and Caribbean countries accredited in Portugal. The session opened with remarks from the President of IPDAL, Paulo Neves, who highlighted the importance of parliamentary dialogue in fostering closer relations between Portugal and the region.

José Cesário thanked IPDAL for providing this platform for dialogue and underlined the essential role of the Institute in promoting contacts that strengthen diplomacy with Latin America and the Caribbean. He stressed the relevance of the ambassadors’ relationship with the Portuguese Parliament, particularly through the Parliamentary Friendship Groups (GPA), whose establishment has faced bureaucratic constraints in the current legislative term.

The President of the CNECP noted that Portugal today holds influence mainly in the Global South, especially in Africa and in Latin America and the Caribbean — regions with which it shares values and strong historical ties. He also highlighted the impact of migratory flows on the construction of bilateral relations and identified the human, political, economic and cultural dimensions as Portuguese priorities.

The event also counted on the presence of Ambassador Carmenza Jaramillo, President of our Advisory Council, who congratulated IPDAL for the initiative.

During a moment of questions and contributions, the ambassadors reiterated the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and expressed interest in the creation or reactivation of the GPAs, calling for reciprocity and for the strengthening of institutional visits and contacts. José Cesário clarified that several groups — such as those of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela — are already established, and that the remaining ones should be created over the course of next year. Until then, he assured that the CNECP itself will function as the direct interlocutor for all countries in the region.

The meeting reinforced IPDAL’s role as a facilitator between Portugal and the diplomatic corps of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting close and structured cooperation.