Anibal Cavaco SilvaPrime Minister, Foreign Minister, Your Excellencies, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Let me first, Prime Minister, extend a very warm welcome to you, your wife and the members of your delegation to No.10 Downing Street today. We are absolutely delighted to have you with us and wish you a very successful [end p1] visit.
There are two particular reasons which make this occasion a special one.
First, it marks the first official visit by a Portuguese Prime Minister in the seventh century of the Alliance between Britain and Portugal, following last year's celebrations at Windsor of the 600th [end p2] Anniversary of the Treaty of Windsor. An Alliance reaching back over 600 years to a time when many of the other countries of the European Community were not yet nation states within their present borders is something of immense value and importance: a golden thread running through the history of both our countries conjuring up great names and events—John of Gaunt and King John I of Portugal; the [end p3] exploits of Vasco da Gama and Magellan, the campaigns of the great Duke of Wellington.
Now we sit literally side by side in European Community meetings, a happy symbol of how that Alliance continues and is just as much a factor today.
The second reason for pleasure is the fact that [end p4] you, Prime Minister, and your Foreign Minister both received a part of your education in the United Kingdom and that gives us something of a proprietorial interest in your success. And indeed your visit is an opportunity to congratulate you on your outstanding election victory last year which gave you the highest proportion of the national vote received by any party in Western [end p5] Europe. That is a very remarkable achievement and a sign of the great respect in which you are held in Portugal and of the success of your policies.
Prime Minister, your visit follows immediately on successful meetings of the European Council and the NATO Summit. [end p6]
At the European Council we agreed to reduce the share taken by agriculture in the Community's spending and to stop the build-up of future surpluses.
We also agreed—and I know that this was particularly welcome to Portugal—on a major increase in the Community's regional and social funds, including special provision for the modernisation of [end p7] Portugal's industry.
This was a considerable tribute to your negotiating skill. But I can say that Britain is very happy to contribute to the additional help which we feel Portugal deserves. In particular it will help you benefit from the challenge of the Single European Market. [end p8] Completion of this by 1992 is now the Community's highest priority.
At last week's NATO Summit, the sixteen members of the Alliance came together in a strong reaffirmation of NATO's principles and its strategy. Our unity gives us the best possible foundation on which to remind our people of NATO's enduring importance to our [end p9] security.
It will also enable NATO to respond effectively to the various initiatives being undertaken by the Soviet Union, and to launch proposals of its own, particularly on the reduction of conventional forces.
We agreed in our talks today that these two very successful and productive meetings [end p10] made it possible for Europe to look with confidence to the future. We also talked over a number of other issues of concern to us both.
Our bilateral relations, which are generally excellent with trade expanding rapidly in both directions, although with the balance still strongly in Portugal's favour. I was pleased to hear that more British [end p11] companies, including some represented at this lunch, are investing in Portugal thus maintaining our position as the largest foreign investor. Tourism is also growing rapidly with over one million British visitors to Portugal last year—including Denis Thatchermy husband.
We hope very much that we shall soon be able to lay to rest the problem of compensation [end p12] for land confiscated after the revolution.
We also talked very fully about the situation in Southern Africa, where Portugal has particular experience to contribute and we both want to see action taken to end the fighting in Angola and Mozambique.
Prime Minister, I look back with great pleasure [end p13] to my own visit to Portugal in 1984, one of the most enjoyable and friendly which I have paid anywhere. I am delighted that you have now made this return visit. We all would want you to take back a message of our affection and regard to President Soares, and with it a reminder of the very special feeling which people in Britain have for Portugal as our oldest [end p14] ally and closest friend—a feeling which your visit will have done much to strengthen.
I ask you to rise to drink a toast to the Prime Minister of Portugal, to the success of his Government and to future centuries of friendship between our two countries.