The Institute organized, together with the Embassy of the Dominican Republic, a presentation of the book “Apuntes/Apontamentos” by Ambassador Jaime Durán. The diplomatic representative of the Dominican Republic wrote and compiled a History of Portugal, edited and published by the country’s Central Bank.

On May 17th, Paulo Neves declared that “ambassador Jaime Durán is an example for everyone, he is a democrat who fought for freedom in his country and who represents the best that Latin America has. By launching this book, IPDAL is also honoring all Latin Americans and all those who believe in democracy and human rights”.

The President of the Institute also praised “it is extraordinary for an ambassador to integrate in another country in such a way and fall in love with another culture in such a way that he decides to write a history of that country. Ambassador Durán is not only a great Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, I am sure that, with this book, he will become a great ambassador of Portugal in the world. As President of IPDAL, like Paulo Neves, as a Portuguese citizen, I am immensely proud and all I can say is: thank you very much”.

At Grémio Literário, the Ambassador admitted that he did not know Portugal before 2011, the date on which he took office in Lisbon, but that curiosity led him to travel around the country. From these trips, he gathered notes on the history of the cities, and from these notes came the idea for a book, a “bold adventure”, in his own words. The session was attended by several ambassadors and diplomats from Latin America, Europe and Asia, the President of the Literary Guild, Friends of IPDAL and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic.