The Ambassador of Argentina paid tribute to the President of IPDAL, in a ceremony that the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation was keen to attend.

The event took place at the Residence of Ambassador Jorge Argüello, on November 5, 2015. Several dozen people were present, such as State Councilor Luís Marques Mendes, the Apostolic Nuncio, several Ambassadors from Latin America and European countries. Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, companies and institutions sponsoring IPDAL, journalists and deputies to the Assembly of the Republic were also present.

In his intervention, the Ambassador of Argentina argued that this tribute was intended to thank the President of IPDAL for his dedication to Latin America. Ambassador Argüello highlighted the Institute’s capacity to work and build bridges, through which, he considered, the work of all Latin American Ambassadors in Lisbon is greatly facilitated.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation highlighted Paulo Neves’ leadership in the IPDAL project and reiterated his thanks for the close collaboration he has always maintained with the Institute.

For his part, the President of IPDAL thanked the “Friend Ambassador of Argentina” for the gesture, adding that he understands the distinction as “a prize for all those who built IPDAL, support IPDAL and work at IPDAL”. Paulo Neves stated that the Institute’s objectives remain alive and very successful: “to promote Latin American countries in Portugal and Portugal in Latin America, in the Institute’s four areas of activity: economic/business, institutional, academic/research and cultural areas .”

Paulo Neves also highlighted the support and enthusiasm of the Portuguese government and the Latin American Embassies in relation to the Institute.

As for the future, the President of IPDAL guaranteed that “the Institute will grow”. Regarding his new activity, as Deputy to the Assembly of the Republic, Paulo Neves stated that he will continue to lead the IPDAL Project but added that “naturally, the General Secretary, Filipe Domingues, will from now on have a much more relevant and present role in the life of IPDAL”. Paulo Neves made a point of clarifying that “at IPDAL, party politics will never be carried out” remembering that the IPDAL Statutes themselves require it, and also remembering that in his activities, in the past, both as a journalist and as a teacher, he never mixed them with their political options. “It won’t happen now”, he assured.

The ceremony ended with dinner.